On A Gryphon's Wings
by TheCleverGirl
Summary: Grace has loved dinosaurs ever since she could remember, so the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of working at Jurassic Park seems like a dream come true. That is, until the night of the storm. With all of the deadly creatures on the loose, Grace finds herself living with a pack of the prehistoric world's top predator: the velociraptor. Will she make it out alive?
1. Chapter 1: Feeding Time

CHAPTER 1: Feeding Time

_AN: As a heads up, the regular print is Grace's POV, and the bold is Gryphon's. Unfortunately I do not own Jurassic Park, but Grace, Gryphon, and the other OCs in this fanfic do belong to me. Please take the time to make me a happy little dino and review, or else I'll eat you! Enjoy the __story!_

Grace's POV

A hard pounding on my door made me jump in my sleep. "GRACE! For the last time, open up! Dammit, Grace! We-oh, wait, I mean you-can't be late for work...again! Hammond's about to blow his top! Now unlock this door!"

I moaned. No sixteen year old girl should have to wake up at five o'clock in the morning to go shovel some dino dung. Ya, you heard me right. Dino crap. I worked at Jurassic Park, the only park in the world that exhibited live dinosaurs, ranging from the mighty T-rex to the tiny scavenging compys.

Now, I probably should introduce myself. I'm Grace Knight, a sixteen year old from Boston who has no family but does have a love for dinosaurs. Ya, it might sound lame-a teenager in love with dinos who enjoys visiting the dinosaur exhibit of the museum as much as a little kid does-but I don't have any friends to mock me for it, let alone any parents to pay for a trip to the museum.

My parents? Dead. Siblings? None. Family? They want nothing to do with me. I was left alone at the age of ten until John Hammond picked me up of the street. When he realized that I loved dinosaurs so much (and had a surprisingly expansive knowledge about them), he took me to work at Isla Nublar, aka Jurassic Park. I've been here six years now, and let me say, they've been pretty great. Besides for-

"GRACE, GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE RIGHT NOW!" More loud banging began, and I threw the sheets and covers aside and opened the door. Caleb, my mentor and guide around the park, stared me down, his eyes tiny slits of fury. "It's about time!" he growled. "Get ready and meet me at the velociraptor paddock in ten minutes." And with that he was gone.

I sighed. Caleb was a seriously giant pain in the ass. Being twenty-five, he thought he ruled the world because he could drink and drive, "And at the same time!" he had said once. All he did was scream and yell and get pissed off. Oh, and constantly pick on my, criticizing anything from my work ethics to my looks. I sleepily got dressed, grabbed my radio and gun (just in case, you never know what's going to happen on an island with man-eating dinos) and headed towards the raptor pen.

**Gryphon's POV**

**I paced back and forth, sniffing the air impatiently. I knew that dinner was coming soon, but how soon? My orange and black striped scales glinted in the sun, and I spread out my white and black alpha male feathers on my head and arms. My pack was the same, trotting around the feeding area restlessly.**

**Cleopatra, the (well, wants to be) alpha female walked up to me, her feathers on her head just beginning to turn blue. Somehow this angered me, seeing her feathers change to the color of alphas, even though she was not one. I snapped at her as she attempted to nuzzle me. Cleo recoiled, growling in irritation.**

**"Why so hostile, my Alpha? You should get some rest," she purred, beginning to wrap her tail around mine.**

**"Go away, Cleo," I snarled. "You will never be my alpha female. You're just...not the one. It doesn't feel right."**

**Her eyes flashed with rage. "Doesn't...FEEL RIGHT? I'll show you-!"**

**Suddenly Beta Male Silas's screech rang out in the dense forest. I gave out a sigh of relief, glad to end this tedious conversation with Cleo. Said raptor just ignored my sigh, giving me one last glare before joining her sister, Navaeh. I swiftly spun around to see a fat, black and white four-legged animal being lowered into our cage. I did not know what it was, but it looked edible. My pack and I charged and began the feast.**

Grace's POV

I watched as the animal feeders slowly lowered the cow into the raptor's cage. I turned away when the velociraptor's screams of attack began.

"Eww, gross," I said covering my eyes.

"Aww, is wittle Gwacy scaredy weardy of the big wizards?" Caleb mocked, laughing.

"I'm a vegetarian," I replied, close to retching. I glared at him, sick an tired of his taunting. "And if you don't stop mocking me-"

"You'll what? Throw me in with the raptors? I could fight them all off in a second, they're a bunch of dumb-asses. I bet they don't even know how to hunt, they're all so used to having food thrown right in front if them." He snorted, looking down at me. "But if I threw you in...they'd probably leave you alone. Don't wanna eat tainted meat, after all."

I snarled. Though I admit I'm not the prettiest girl in the world, I'd had enough of his crap. "You better take that back-!"

Caleb looked down at me, giving me a look similar to what an adult would give to a child who just asked the most obvious question in existance.

"Stop it, you two!" Hammond hissed into our ears. Remember our guests!" He gestured towards Dr. Alan Grant, Dr. Ellie Sattler, his two grandchildren Lexi and Tim, Mr. Donald Gennaro, and finally Ian Malcolm. They had all been invited by Hammond to visit Jurassic Park before it opened next year.

"Yeah, Grace, shut the hell up."

I kicked him, but he just looked at me in pity.

"Ouch, I'm dying."

"You're a bastard, you know that, right?"

"Why thank you," he replied, picking at his fingernails, seemingly uninterested.

"Oh, screw it," I mumbled in defeat.

"Moving on!" Hammond announced, shutting us both up abruptly. We glared at each other for a few seconds before following the group back to the Visitor Center.

_AN: Well, there's the first chapter! Sorry if it seemed short, I promise that the chapter will get longer as the story progresses. It would make my week if you could review, I'd love to hear what you think of the story and characters so far and how I can improve! Also, I'm trying not to make this into a typical raptorXoc fanfic...you'll see what I mean in the later chapters, so I hope you like!_


	2. Chapter 2: Storm Approaching

CHAPTER 2: Storm Approaching

_AN: Second chapter, yay! Hope you all like it!_

Grace's POV

After the group of visitors had left in the jeeps, some of the staff members, which included Caleb, Hammond, the gamekeeper Muldoon, the computer nerds Arnold and Dennis, and I, met in the main computer room to watch the visitors on their tour of Juarssic Park.

Hammond and I watched, intensly interested, as the first ever tour of Jurassic Park unfolded. Arnold sat in his chair, a cigarette in his mouth, watching the monitors. Dennis sat playing a game at his computer, eating a pack of donuts. Caleb stood off to the side, sighing boredly.

"Oh, look, they're nearing the dilophosaurus pen!" Hammond pointed out eagerly. His enthusiasm made me smile. If everyone on Earth were like Hammond, everybody would be happy.

Sadly, the dilos were by the river, taking a drink. The visitors couldn't see them from their jeep. Bummer, those dilos were super interesting to observe, with their colorful scales and big crests.

The video screen showed the cars winding down the dirt road on steel cable tracks. Everything was normal...except, wait...were my eyes playing tricks on me?

"Um, Arnold, are the jeeps' headlights on?" I wondered out loud.

"Well, Grace, you're bloody right! Why would they-?" Arnold fiddled with his computer mouse and keyboard, trying to fix the problem.

Hammond turned to Dennis, who was licking his powdered covered fingers, "Dennis, you're the computer genius here. Do your job."

Dennis sighed, and made a few excuses before Muldoon silenced him and he began his work.

"Quiet, Nedry. They're nearing to Tyrannosaurus paddock."

**Gryphon's POV**

**I licked my chops. Even though it was an easy kill, my pack and I had to eat. The thrill of the hunt was gone in this desolate cage, this damned pit where we were trapped, and will be trapped, all our lives-with no escape. Sniffing the air, I stood up. Someone was coming. I looked into the ferns, and out emerged Adalinda, my sister.**

**"Brother Gryphon, what troubles you? I know that you have been restless," she whispered softly, nuzzling me. **

**I chirped. My sister always knew how to make me feel better. "I don't know, Adalinda...I guess it's just that..." I began to growl, and she glanced at me in confusion. Immediatly I stopped. My thoughts had skipped over to the humans that kept us captive. I would give anything to tear into one's vulnerable flesh-**

**"Well, fear not, Gryphon. You will get your revenge tonight. There is a storm approaching."**

**I snarled in delight. I must have been thinking out loud, and Adalinda had eased my mind. How had I not sensed the storm coming? It was going to be great from now on. My pack would be free, and we would seek our vengence on those blasted humans, one succulent and mouthwatering bite at a time.**

_AN: Review review review, please! :D Sorry, I know that this was a short chapter, this story will probably have a lot of short chapters rather than a few long chapters. Either way, future chapters will be longer, I can promise you that._


	3. Chapter 3: T-rex

CHAPTER 3: T-rex

_AN: Here's a longer chapter for you all. Enjoy!_

Grace's POV

"The tyrannosaurus was a mighty creature, but he only began ruling the land about sixty million years ago..." the jeeps audio tour droned on, and the occupants of the vehicles were all ignoring it, and instead peering out the windows at the so called T-rex pen. But there was no sign of said dino.

"-the fierce tyrannosaurus rex!" the audio concluded.

"Where is he?" Tim inquired to nobody in particular.

"Not he, she," Donald Gennaro corrected. "All of the dinosaurs of Jurassic Park are female, so that they won't mate."

"Oh," Tim replied, his spirits slightly dampened. But he quickly returned to his normal self.

Lex broke the few moments of silence that the boys had made with a question. "What's that?"

Both Tim and Donald spun around to see a rising platform bring up a goat into the paddock.

"What's gunna happen? Is he gunna eat the goat?!" Lex cried out in horror.

"She," Gennaro corrected.

Back at the control center, I paced back and forth as the goat sat down, unaware that it was just placed in the territory of a giant tyrant lizard. "Not a cute little goat!" I said.

"What, never had lamb chops before?" Caleb laughed.

"Lamb chops are sheep, not goat."

"Same diff, both are delicious."

Forget him. The problem now was that the six visitors had moved past the T-rex pen and had gotten out of their vehicles to attend to a sick triceratops. Luckily, a few Jurassic Park employees were already there. After about ten minutes, five of the guests, not including Dr. Sattler, went back to the cars. Sattler stayed behind to help care for the dinosaur.

"There's a storm coming on," Arnold said. "We better get them back."

"Agreed," Hammond answered.

Dennis cleared his throat. "I'm going to the vending machine. I'll be back in a minute." And he left, but not without a rude remark from Caleb.

"Don't get stuck on your way out the door!" he snickered.

I couldn't help but let a slight grin pass over my face. Unfortunatly, Caleb would never let me live something like laughing at his joke down.

"That's gunna be you someday." He smirked.

"Look who's talking," I countered.

"Well, you were just talking so..." he added, his tone the same as a three year old.

"Shut up!" I hissed.

We glared at each other, and at the exact same moment, we realized what was missing. Noise. Sound. Movement. Everything was silent. The lights were also almost all off. Both of us craned our necks over to Arnold, Hammond, and Muldoon, who were all gazing gravely at the screen.

"What the-?" Caleb began, to be cut off by a heart-stopping roar. His eyes went wide, mirroring mine. Rushing over to the monitor, we saw a horrifing sight-the T-rex had broken loose. The power was down. No electricity meant no barriers. And with no barriers, all hell was sure to unleash.

"Shit," Caleb whispered. The T-rex was overlooking the cars, peering at them with her small, beady eyes. She looked like she was about to leave until...

Suddenly a powerful beam of light lit up the screen. "What's that?!" Hammond asked.

"A flashlight," Muldoon said. "They're doomed."

With sadness I made out Tim and Lex, Hammond's grandkids. No, not them. Please Mrs. Lizard, don't eat them. Take Caleb instead. No one even likes him.

"Well, do something about it! Why have the cars stopped?! Arnold!"

Arnold was typing at his computer furiously. "That son of a bitch Nedry locked the system! I can't do anything unless he's here! Where is that bastard anyway?!"

_**ROOOOOOOAAAAAAR!**_

Everyone in the room flipped their eyes to the screen. The T-rex had flipped the kids' car over, bellowing angrily. The kids were both screaming at the top of their lungs, but that was just provoking the dinosaur.

"Wait, where's that lawyer guy? What was it, Gennaro?" I inquired.

"He ran into those stalls," Hammond answered. "He left my grandchildren alone!"

A red flash, like a flare, appeared out of the rainy darkness. It was Dr. Grant, warding the rex off! He chucked the flare into the jungle, and the T-rex followed.

Or, was following. Until Malcom came out, holding another flare.

"Ian, run!" Grant shouted above the storm. And he did run, leading the dinosaur strait to the stalls. It crashed into them, revealing the coward Gennaro. In one bite, the rex gobbled the lawyer up. The entire control room was silent.

Suddenly, the prehistoric predator whipped back around to her original target. It charged the jeep. Dr. Grant was busy pulling Lexi out from under the car. By the time he had gotten her out, it was too late. One knock from her tail, and the rex sent the vehicle flying into the trees with Tim still inside.

"Oh my god..." I said. "Oh my god."

_AN: All I have to say is...uh oh! Things are gearing up for something big..._


	4. Chapter 4: No Escape

CHAPTER 4: No Escape

_AN: What an ominous chapter name...I wonder what events may occur..._

__Grace's POV

"I'm going out," Muldoon said. "Who knows how many more dinos are running rampant around the park?"

By this time Dr. Sattler was back at the control room. "I'll go with Muldoon to turn the power back on." Arnold had already left, but hadn't returned for a few hours. Dennis was nowhere to be seen. And since all the equiptment was off, he had nothing better to do. Plus, we had no way of knowing if our guests were ok or not. This had been a great day. Just fantastic.

"Grace and I volunteer to protect the building," Caleb announced.

"What?! I never said-" I began.

"Good. Go on, then," Hammond waved us away. "We need all the help we can get."

Caleb thrusted a heavy gun into my arms. "Come on, Grace. Let's kick some dino ass." That was probably the nicest thing he's said to me ever. Of course, we might die like that Gennaro guy, so I took it as a nice last act.

We exited the building and entered the forest. The ferns and trees were so thick, a planned attack could take both of us down without a single shot fired. We stood our ground, back to back, guns raised.

**Gryphon's POV**

**"Free!" I cried as my pack and I ran through the forest. "Free to do as we please...starting with killing the humans," I snarled.**

**Zakkon, my brother, and Adalinda, my sister, ran beside me as we tracked the humans. They were close, very close. Only a minute more until my revenge, the one that has been bubbling up inside of me since childhood, would be satisfied.**

**I signaled for the pack to stop. Without pause, I told Cleo to follow me. Although she was flirty and somewhat tedious, she was an superb tracker, possibly the best in the pack. I would need her because the rain that had started a couple hours ago would mask the humans' scent. Silently, we stalked our prey from the trees, using them to our advantage as cover. Peering through the vegetation, I spotted them-two young humans, the male roughly ten years older than the female. **

**The female. She stopped me in my tracks. Cleo had to nip me in order to snap me back into reality. Shaking my head, we resumed the hunt. I mean, what was I thinking? I'm not even sure what emotion was hitting me when I looked at her. All I know is that it was one I had never experienced like this before.**

**SNAP! Growling, I retreated a few feet back. Dazed, I had let my guard down and stepped on a twig, alerting my presence to the humans. It was now or never. Hissing loudly, I hopped out of the ferns.**

**Both humans pointed their guns at me in unison. The female's hands were shaking, though. I could also smell her fear. The male, however, gave off an aura of confidence, pointing his weapon like it could save him. I snorted. Yeah, right, like that thing could save you from the prehistoric world's top predator. **

**Suddenly Cleo leaped out on the male's right side, cutting him off from escape. The thrill of the hunt was back! I felt it course through my veins and I snarled, baring my teeth and clawing the air to show off. I fanned out the alpha feathers on my head for show, hoping to intimidate the man...and possibly show off to the girl. But either way, it worked.**

**Looking back and forth, the male human was weighing his options. Fight? Run? Give up? I liked the latter.**

**Well, he didn't give up. Instead, he pushed the female down (which for some reason annoyed me immensely) and ran off into the jungle, leaving the girl alone, who meanwhile was spitting dirt out on the jungle floor.**

**Her big weapon-stick flew out of her hands, skidding to a stop at the edge of the clearing, nearly three yards away. Even if she tried to claim it again, her efforts would be futile. I could slice her in half before she even took a few steps...if I wanted to.**

**She whipped her head around and cried out in horror. "Caleb! Don't leave me!"**

**Cleo snarled and chased him, this so called 'Caleb', into the dense forest. For a few tense moments, all I could hear was Cleo's blade-like claws pounding the ground as she followed in pursuit of the boy. A couple shots rang out. Then, as I expected, a blood-chilling scream rang out, the scream of death and pain, along with a raptor's snarls. Then silence.**

_AN: Oh, the suspense, the horror! Didn't I warn you? Anything can happen in this fanfic. Please review and make my day! Also, if you have any ideas, I'd love to hear them!_


	5. Chapter 5: Confusion and Curiousity

CHAPTER 5: Confusion and Curiosity

_AN: I apologize, this is another short chapter. Remember when I promised that they'd get longer? All in good time...story, begin!_

Grace's POV

He had left me there, left me there on the ground to die, to become raptor chow. And that was what I was about to become, because the tiger colored raptor was slowly coming closer. I began crawling away, ignoring the mud and dirt clinging to my clothes. The fact that it was pouring made it increasingly difficult to get a grip of my surroundings, but the outline of the raptor stood out, the silhouette of my killer closing the already small gap between us.

The golden raptor with blue feathers burst out of the woods, red blood staining her muzzle. I almost vomited. It was the scariest thing I've ever seen. Sure, I hated Caleb, but you had to be scared when a guy who was alive not thirty seconds ago had just been murdered by a velociraptor.

I looked death in the eye, awaiting my fate with eyes as large as dinner plates. I finally closed them, waiting for the white-hot pain to hit. But the slashing of talons never came. Instead, a rush of wind hit my face and I felt a teeth grab onto the baggy part of my shirt and pull me up. Upon opening my eyes, I saw that the tiger raptor had pulled me off the ground. The gold raptor didn't seem too happy about this, but she backed off and let the male raptor sniff me.

Wait! Male raptor? But there were no male raptors on this island! Curiously, I tried to speak. "Thanks."

The raptor roared back, but it contained no hostility-only interest. The golden raptor, though, hissed, only to be silenced by the tiger striped one with a simple snap of his powerful jaws.

Then he did something that caused me to freeze in shock. It placed its head on my shoulder, cooing. I blinked in surprise. What had just happened? The raptor had gone from a murdering machine to a big cuddly dog...well, except for the killer claws and razor sharp fangs.

The raptor abruptly lifted his head, and grabbed the hem of my pants in his mouth gently, almost carefully, like he didn't want to hurt me. Why was that? I was the perfect target-my experience on Jurassic Park had taught me that the strong survive, and the weaker perish. And a sixteen year old girl without a weapon surrounded by deathly raptors was definitly weak.

"What are you-?" I started, but his soft coo silenced me, almost like a lullaby. I decided that if they hadn't already killed me, then they probably wanted me for something else...but what? I gulped nervously. This couldn't be good.

Instinctivly, I struggled against the velociraptor, but to no avail. He was too strong, and would tighten his grip every single time that I tried to pull away. He dragged me for maybe fifteen minutes straight, until we entered a large grove near the river. And standing all around me were nearly a dozen raptors.

**Gryphon's POV**

**This creature was stunning. Her scales were a beautiful bronze color, forming brilliant gold feathers on her head. (AN: Skin and hair, if you don't know.) Her eyes were blue like the sky on a clear day, a gift that no raptor I had ever seen had. I knew that Cleo was jealous, because she kept giving me furious stares all the way back to the nesting site. When we arrived, all the pack members were making a half circle around my human and me. Yes, my human. She was mine, and nobody could take her.**

**A grey scraggly raptor hissed menacingly at me as I introduced the human to the pack. "Lorcan," I snarled. "Get lost or I'll whip you with my tail like I did last week."**

**The entire pack, even the chicks, Konu and Lina, snickered. Lorcan had been alpha before me, and had treated everyone below him like rubbish. To save the pack from his rule, I had beaten him in a battle, winning the place as leader. He was pushed down to omega now, an outcast who was barely part of the pack.**

**"Who knows? Maybe this will be my lucky day!" Lorcan hissed, glaring evilly at the human. Outraged, I jumped on him and pinned him to the wet, muddy ground. "Never threaten my human!"**

**"Oh, your human, hm?" he mused, the gears in his head turning rapidly with every word.**

**That made me pause. Why was this human different? Yes, she was the youngest human I had ever seen, and by far the prettiest, but why did I get butterflies everytime I looked at her, and why didn't I kill her like that male human? She was a human after all, responsible for keeping my pack and me in a cage for my entire life until now. I began to growl, second guessing the feelings that I had felt when I first saw her. I should kill her right now.**

**But when I spun around to finish the job, I felt that emotion from earlier coming back-the one from when I first saw her. With a shock, I realized that it was the same I felt when I was with my pack, except taken to an entirely new level. It was happiness. A human made me happy.**

_AN: Oh man, we got an out of character velociraptor here. Never fear, the author is here! And trust me, this goo goo eyes Gryphon doesn't last for long. Cue next chapter..._


	6. Chapter 6: Realization

CHAPTER 6: Realization

_AN: Read and review, my following raptors! If you're a fan of my story you write a review you get to be in my pack. And trust me, you want to be in my pack._

Grace's POV

My breathing was heavy, and I shivered violently, for the rain hadn't ceased to stop, and by this time I was soaked to the bone. My eyes darted from one velociraptor to the next, attempting to pick out which one might attack. I tried to stay very still, not wanting to accidentally anger the creatures and have them rip me to pieces like the golden one did to Caleb.

Caleb...Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes. Witnessing a murder performed by this prehistoric predator was not something I had signed up for when I agreed to work here at Jurassic Park. And now, in my predicament, I was most likely not going to work another day of my life...or live another day.

A dirty, older-looking raptor approached me, an unsettling gleam in his eyes that screamed "I'd really like to eat you now". I curled up and stayed completely silent, a single tear running down my cheek.

However, before the raptor could jump on me, he was intercepted by the tiger-striped raptor, who pinned him to the ground, snarling viciously. The other raptors, who were circling me at an uncomfortably close distance from me, moved in closer to see the action, and some to get a better look at me. I felt like I was being suffocated by their looks alone.

I heard the tiger-striped raptor snarl again, and the circle of reptiles immediately opened. I realized that he must be the alpha of the pack. Said dinosaur strutted over to me, grabbed the back of my shirt (I've been on the ground the whole time, thank you very much), and nudged me forward towards what look like large nests.

A bit shocked, I spun around. "Go...over there, you mean? With you?"

The raptor chirped in consent.

My voice lowered. "You're not...you're not going to..." I trailed off, not sure how to finish as the tiger-striped raptor tilted its head. "Uh, never mind then."

I began to walk forward, the other raptors parting for the alpha and me. I could hear menacing growls coming from several of them, but all were shortly cut off by the tiger-striped raptor. I kept my eyes on the ground, avoiding making any unnecessary eye contact with one of the reptiles.

Unfortunately for me, that wasn't the most thought-out plan. I tripped over a tree root that evaded my vision, and collided with the forest floor. A couple caws echoed behind me from the group of raptors. I could have sworn they sounded like laughter.

The tiger raptor tried to aid me in standing up, but I blocked his attempt with my hands, looking angrily at the beast before me. "No," I told it firmly. "I can get up myself."

I picked myself up, brushed off the dirt and mud that had accumulated on my clothes (though with all the rain it just began to stick to my skin), and began walking towards the nests again. Behind me, I could feel the alpha raptor's presence, as if he were there to catch me if I fell again. Or kill me if I tried to escape.

So many thoughts were running across my mind. Why was I here? Why didn't this raptor just kill me? Why was it treating me like a baby, or even helping me at all? Would it always be so friendly, or will it turn on me and...I gulped. Was I considered a hostage? Did raptors even take hostages? I'm pretty sure they didn't.

I weighed my options. Stay, and risk being eaten by nearly a dozen raptors, or try to escape, and most likely get chased down like prey and killed. My options weren't exactly rainbows and sunshine at this point.

I turned around and looked at the tiger-striped raptor. He looked confused when I stopped, as if he expected that I was happy to be in a raptor den.

I sized up the raptor. He was young, and therefore extremely strong. My eyes looked down at its legs, which were also very muscular and strong. Capable if reaching speeds of about 40 miles per hour, I guessed. And how fast could I run? With a burst of adrenaline, maybe 7? 8 miles per hour?

Running seemed futile. But then again...it was the only thing I had. So I bolted for my life.

Tree branches and vines whipped my face as I sprinted through the dense forest. I could already hear the sound of feet and claws pounding behind me. A roar or two rang out loudly. My breath came in short, ragged gasps as my situation finally dawned on me. Earlier, I had been in too much shock after seeing Caleb's death and being taken to the raptors' den to fully process what really was happening to me.

I started having a full breakdown as I aimlessly stumbled though the foliage. Tears burst from my eyes, my breath got clogged in my throat, and numerous coughs echoed out from my mouth. I couldn't run much longer. I only prayed that I wouldn't trip or fall.

I hadn't cried like this in 6 years, not since I cane to Jurassic Park.

I almost cried out in joy when the dark outline of a building came into view. I recognized it instantly-the food storage. If I could get into one of the cages where the live food was kept, I had a chance of keeping the raptors at bay...at least for the moment.

25 yards away...20...15...10...

**_SMACK._**

An unearthly amount of weight toppled on top of me and threw me to the ground. I screamed out in pain as my leg twisted underneath my body at an angle that no leg should ever go. I whimpered, in too much pain to even scream out as I felt the hot breath of the large reptile on my ear. I realized what an idiot I was for having even a glimmer of hope that this idea would work. I hadn't been thinking, and now I was going to get killed for it.

The raptor on top of me turned me over so I was facing it, and (not) to my surprise it was the tiger-striped raptor. The golden female raptor and a dark blue male raptor stood behind it, staring at their alpha, awaiting orders like obedient soldiers.

I closed my eyes tight in pain, opened them again, and glanced down at my leg. "Oh god," I whispered. It was bent at an awkward and painful angle. It was without a doubt broken. "Oh god."

My attention turned back to the trio of raptors. They had attacked me, they had wounded me...I knew what the next step was.

But the final step in a traditional raptor kill never came. The three creatures merely stood their ground and peered at me. The female glared at me evilly and snorted pretentiously. The tiger colored one and the blue male exchanged a few chirps. This went on for a minute or two, which seemed to pass by like hours.

Finally, the reptiles made up their minds. The tiger raptor nudged my leg, to which I howled out in pain and attempted to crawl away. The raptor would have none of this though, and, circling around me, he bit down on the hem of the pants in my good leg (a bit harsher than he had been before) and dragged me speedily back towards the camp. Tears clouded my vision as the food storage building slowly faded out of view.

_AN: Hey, I'd probably lose my top if I was dragged to a raptor den too. Running seems like a good idea...until you get caught. Review! :)_


	7. Chapter 7: A Long Night

CHAPTER 7: A Long Night

_AN: First of all, I'd like to thank everyone who took the time to read, favorite, or review this story! It really means so much to me. Special thanks to Dustchu and old chuck for reviewing-you guys rock! :) I went back and fixed all the mistakes, and added a few things (like who's POV it is). Now on with the story!_

**Gryphon's POV**

**Betrayal was a word for what I had felt when my human ran. Did she not trust me, after all I had done for her? I had saved her, had given her shelter, and would have fed and protected her...and yet she ran like the ungrateful human that she was. **

**All humans were the same, I realized. They all had to die. **

**Furious, I dashed through the jungle in pursuit of my prey. She wasn't my human any more. I felt the presence of two of my fellow raptors behind me, and upon glancing back, they were revealed to be Caspian, my closest friend, and Cleo.**

**"Do you wish to make the kill, or shall I?" Cleo hissed gleefully.**

**"She's mine," I snapped. "I don't need any help. This won't take long."**

**Caspian, who ran on my right side, spoke up. "Gryphon...I think that maybe you should rethink this. I mean not a few minutes ago it seemed as if you liked her-"**

**"Silence!" I screeched. "She ran away, she betrayed me..."**

**"But can you really blame her? This is all so new, she's probably terrified. Just give her another chance."**

**I huffed indignantly. Caspian had always been the one who tried to reason with the other members of the pack; he was the pacifist, and would only kill prey only when necessary. But he was wrong this time.**

** The human was coming into view, and I was gaining on her fast. She was nearing a mass of hollow, neatly stacked stone, trying to escape into it most likely. Growling maliciously, I pounced on her, pinning her to the ground face-down with a loud crack. She cried out in pain, and as I leaned in for the kill, the emotions hit me. I nearly lost my balance. Angrily I realized that I couldn't make myself do it. I couldn't kill her.**

**I flipped her over roughly. She again screamed, clearly in an immense amount of suffering, then made a few pitiful noises. Weak, how weak she was.**

**Caspian approached me while Cleo kept her distance, an intimidating aura radiating off her scales. "I knew it. You can't kill her. This is exactly what happened earlier. Somehow, this human renders you incapable of mortally wounding her...how peculiar," the blue raptor mused. "How about we bring her back to camp and show her that we mean no harm to her. Maybe then she will obey you, alpha."**

**I shook my head. "I don't understand what came over me. I can do it, I should do it! She's a human!"**

**"And so we shall condemn their entire species to death?" Caspian reasoned.**

**"Yes! They need to pay for what they did to us! She was a part of it, just look at the covering on her scales! The same as that of the men that put our pack in that cage!"**

**"Gryphon. If you want to kill this human girl, then go ahead. But we've been friends since we hatched, and I know you to well. You won't do it."**

**"Just watch me!" I snarled.**

**I looked back at the human. She was soaked, shivering, and honestly, looked like prey did before my pack brought it down. I nudged her broken leg, then bit down on the cover of her other leg, and began to drag her back to camp.**

* * *

Grace's POV

Somehow the trip back to the raptor den was more painful than the first time the tiger-striped raptor had dragged me there. I felt as if my head hit every rock and bump on the ground, and my long hair got pulled by and tangled in various tree roots. I was glad there were no mirrors around...my reflection would probably shatter the glass; my clothes were soaked and ruined, my hair was a giant tangle of knots, and my skin was streaked with dark mud. I just hoped that raptors didn't judge by looks like people did.

Despite the intense pain in my right leg, I couldn't help but feel a tiny twinge of relief that the raptors had again spared my life. I surely thought that I would die when the tiger colored raptor attacked me, and the amount of surprise that hit me when he stopped his ambush amazed even myself.

Although the question still remained: What made me so special that this deadly beast couldn't kill me?

It took a mere five minutes to make it back to the den. I noticed how short the chase had actually been, and how close the raptors' home was to the feeding building. There was probably some livestock still alive in there, as back-up food for these predators. Smart, maybe even too smart. I wondered, how could these creatures be so intelligent and deadly if they had been all been raised in captivity?

Upon reaching the den I was shoved quite roughly into a nest. Well, I can't really call it a nest. It was more like a gathering of smooth grass and a few twigs and leaves. I suppose that the other raptors in this pack came here to build the den while the others-including the tiger-striped one-went out hunting...for us humans.

The tiger-striped raptor hissed commandingly at me, with a tone that clearly displayed his annoyance with my escape. "Sorry..." I murmured, but the dinosaur merely whipped around, roared at a large gold raptor, and joined the big group congregation of raptors that hadn't dispersed since I fled.

Behind me a tiny chirping sound began, echoed by another, than soon escalated into an ear-piercing chatter. I thought it was birds, so I spun around to scare them off but-

"Holy shit!" I hollered in fear.

Two younger raptors that were about half my size stalked towards me, continuing their incessant cries that were slowly beginning to shatter my eardrums. A larger raptor, who appeared to be their mother, watched in the background as the two chicks slowly closed in on me. She had the same golden scales and blue feathers under her arms as Cleo. They must be related...which didn't really help my situation. She most likely wanted me dead as much as Cleo did.

By this time the velociraptor chicks were nearly in my face. I backed up on all fours, starting to panic. Although these two were mere infants, they could still cause a lot of fatal damage.

Suddenly the chicks came to a stop. I heard a roar above me and looked up to see the blue raptor standing over me, hissing at the duo of smaller raptors. They backed off obediently, returning to their mother's side, who gave me a look that stung like daggers.

I looked back up at the blue raptor quizzically. "Uh, um..." He looked down and me and get me a curt nod as if he understood that I was trying (and failing, I was in too much shock) to thank him, then walked off, heading deeper into the den.

I noticed the tiger-striped raptor glaring at the blue raptor, his growling so loud that I could hear it from my position in the nest nearly 10 yards away. The raptor whipped its head around to face me and directed its growling towards me. At first I was confused, but then it hit me: Was the tiger raptor jealous of the blue raptor? I wasn't even sure if raptors felt emotions such as jealousy or envy, but it seemed like jealousy was the case.

Either way, I couldn't help myself from shrinking down into the nest, trying to shield myself from the predator's view. I watched as he approached my hiding spot, and my eyes went wide. "Oh crap, don't come over here, please don't come over here!"

But obviously the raptor didn't feel the need to listen to me. However, he strutted straight past me and moved on towards the den with the mother and her two chicks. He roared at them despite their raucous chirping and snorted at the mom.

I couldn't help myself from grinning a little. "Is he...trying to mimic that blue raptor? Is he really that jealous?"

My suspicions were confirmed when he passed me again and bobbed his head at me. I kept my gaze on him as he headed towards the dense forest where the blue raptor had gone.

I looked back at the two chicks, who still looked curious (and a bit deadly, if you ask me), but they kept their distance. I sighed and fruitlessly tried to get comfortable in this nest that I was put in. This was going to be a long night.

_AN: Uh oh, do I smell a love triangle perhaps? Also, I want to introduce the other members of the pack by name, and have Grace stop calling the raptors by their colors. I was going to have her be able to telepathically communicate with the raptors somehow, but I'd like to hear was any of you guys think she should be able to talk with the raptors. Team Gryphon or Team Cas? Leave comments about what you'd like to see!_


	8. Chapter 8: Change

CHAPTER 8: Change

_AN: This is possibly my longest and most thought out chapter yet, so I hope you all like! Thank you to Dustchu for giving me the idea of how the two main characters will talk, I really appreciate it! Oh and by Team Gryphon/Caspian I mean who you want Grace to end up with in the end. :) Also, thanks so Lina Marie for reviewing too, your opinion really means a lot! Continue story :D_

**Gryphon's POV**

**I didn't take long for me to catch up with Caspian. I signaled his attention by uttering a low, threatening growl. The other raptor spun around, clearly surprised at my sudden appearance. "Gryphon? What are you-"**

**My growling grew louder, cutting him off. "You know what you did, old friend." I spat out the last word like it was poison. **

**Caspian looked bewildered. "I don't know what you're talking about-"**

**"Enough of these lies! You were near my human, and she's taken a liking to you!" I snorted in a fit of rage.**

**My fellow raptor chirped lightheartedly, obviously oblivious (or attempting to be) of my anger. "My alpha, I was only scolding the chicks for getting to close to her. She's in desperate need of some space and time to adjust to this new life, and having a dozen raptors breathing down her neck isn't the best solution." Caspian, although slightly taller than I, crouched down in order to be smaller, a symbol of submission. "Remember that she also needs to heal, and we both know whose fault that is."**

**I rotated, whacking Caspian with my tail in the process. He let out a squeal but didn't protest any further; he was already treading in deep water with his alpha, and wasn't in the mood to stir up a fight. Gryphon emerged into the main clearing of the den again, vowing to start over with this human, to teach her all of the skills of a raptor, and possibly learn a few new tricks from her in the process.**

**Back in the shadowy undergrowth of the jungle; Caspian growled silently, secretly knowing that he was physically capable of beating Gryphon in a fight. He always head been bigger and stronger ever since they hatched. Gryphon was his best friend...until he became the Alpha of the pack. Something changed; he got cockier, less involved with friends and more involved with himself. He acted on instinct alone rather than applying reason and knowledge. He acted like a primitive beast, practically wasting the genius IQ given to him. **

**Of course he provided for the pack, but Caspian knew there was a greater leader among the ranks of the pack...himself. Someday** **HE would be alpha...but not today. And on that day, he would take Grace for himself.**

Grace's POV

I was slowly integrated into life with the raptor pack. I had become friendly with about half of the pack members; the tiger-striped raptor, the blue raptor, a couple of gold ones that I discovered to be the Beta male and female, and finally the tiger-striped one's sister, a beautiful dark orange raptor. The other half of the pack, on the other hand, hated my guts. I was either welcomes with happy chirps or discouraged by enraged hisses everywhere I turned.

I was sentenced to "bed rest" in my nest to allow my leg to heal. A jet black male raptor (who I later found out to be Gryphon's younger brother) was assigned to guard my temporary bed in case I tried to escape. I laughed the first time I saw him take his post by my nest, staring at me and daring me to flee.

"No need for the shifty eyes buddy, I'm staying right were I am as long as I don't get eaten in my sleep."

All I got was a snort and a flick of his big head in return.

"Anti-social, I see. Well, this is going to be a fun recovery," I winced as I rubbed my swollen leg.

Everyday the tiger-striped raptor would stop by and visit my nest. It became a daily routine: chirp in hello, place his head on my shoulder, nudge my leg as if to inquire its status, and finally drop by some food.

This was the biggest problem. I'm was vegetarian, and obviously, my raptor vigilante wasn't so familiar with the idea. The first time I was fed was on my second day with the pack, the day after my attempted escape. The tiger colored raptor dropped the carcass of a compsognathus in front of me. I reeled back in disgust despite the pain that shot up my leg. "N-no thanks, I'm not hungry."

The raptor pushed it closer to me with its snout, urging me to eat. I poked it, but immediately retracted my hand when the body of the small dinosaur spewed crimson blood all over my sleeping area. The raptor looked at my curiously.

"Uh, is there any fruit around here? Nuts maybe, even mushrooms or plants? I'll eat anything, this," I said, pushing the dead compy away with my good foot " just isn't edible."

That's when the raptor really threw me off guard. It took a large bite out of the carcass, chewed it for a few seconds, and belched the remains all over me. I remained paralyzed. The tiger raptor refused to leave until I ate. Giving in, I tore of a piece off meat with almost no blood or scales on it and plopped it into my mouth. I didn't even chew; I simply let the meat of the dinosaur slide down my throat. I shivered. "Mmm, delicious."

The raptor appeared satisfied and chirped in consent. I nodded, holding back my vomit until he left. Not to mention that I was still coated in chunks of compsognathus meat. How did I get involved in this again?

Two weeks passed by in this fashion. I learned to tolerate the taste of the dinosaur meat; if I was lucky, the raptors would bring me bird or even fish meat. Eating it raw wasn't ideal, but I didn't have the materials with me to make a fire, and I wasn't allowed to leave anyways.

By this time I assumed I was alone on the island. I had seen no sign of any other human being. They had either escaped via helicopter or had been eaten.

I was discharged from my nest after the two week interval. My leg wasn't fully healed, but it was better than before, and was strong enough to support my body weight if a raptor helped me. The tiger-raptor would constantly be at my side, cooing to try and take my mind of my stif leg. I never strayed far from the nest, though, in case of larger predators. Although the only other dinosaur I had seen was a few archaeopteryx and some small pterodactyls flying above the skyline.

The language of the raptors was slowly starting to become clearer and clearer to me, like an object rising to the surface of the water. I could distinguish the meaning of various chirps, growls, roars, hisses, and purrs based on context alone. The raptors seemed to already have a surprisingly extensive knowledge of the human language, considering that they had only heard it spoken by their captors.

Not only did I begin to learn their language, but I also taught them-or at least the ones who seemed to like me-the alphabet. To my excitement, the blue one (who had mysteriously been absent until now) caught on rapidly, and by now could write his and my name, and would scribble them in the dirt on a daily basis. "Caspian + Grace" he would write, and gaze at me, asking for approval.

"That's great, Cas, you're doing great," I would reply, grinning brightly. The tiger colored raptor would hiss furiously and stamp out the letters immediately after.

He was having a bit more difficulty than his blue friend. G...R...Y...He stopped and paused in deep concentration. P...

"Gryphon," I finished. He looked up from his writing and nodded. This was the first time I called him by his real name, which had been unknown to me up until know. "Your name is Gryphon."

The sun was rapidly sinking below the horizon, drawing our writing session to a close. Gryphon helped me to my nest as Caspian watched from the shadows. I waved goodnight, but he ignored me and disappeared deeper into the shadows.

Gryphon set me down gentle on the bedding of the nest and stood off to the side as I settled down into a comfortable position. I closed my eyes, but I never felt the presence of the large creature leave my side. I cracked one eye open to see him leaning in close to my face. The light drizzle that had started earlier evolved into a monsoon, the dense cover of the forest failing to block out the downpour. My clothes were wet and I shivered, freezing.

I heard the rustle of twigs and leaves being shifted next to me, and soon after felt the warm body heat of an animal next to me. Gryphon curled his tail around my body, bringing me in tight to his chest. I didn't object. The heat that radiates from his orange and black scales warmed my chilled skin in a matter of minutes.

As I drifted off to sleep, a sound emerged from Gryphon's mouth that almost sounded like words. Perhaps I was hallucinating or dreaming, but it sounded awfully like the raptor whispered to me.

"Goodnight, my love."

_AN: So? What'd you guys think? Did you like the way I made it possible for Grace and Gryphon to communicate? To us it would sound like "Blah blah english blah" and "hiss chirp raptor noises roar", but they can understand one another as if they were speaking the same language. Make sense? I'll explain it more in the next chapter! And let me know if there's anything you like or dislike, or want to see more of in future chapters_


	9. Chapter 9: The First Hunt

CHAPTER 9: The First Hunt

_AN: So many lovely reviews! From now on I'll be replying to all of them!_

_Dustchu: I'm not sure if I'm Team Caspian or Team Gryphon myself yet! It changed from day to day xD You'll find out why Gryphon hates humans more than any other raptor later, he's very damaged. Maybe you'll grow to like him :) Thank you for being such a great reviewer!_

_Lina Marie: Although Gryphon has some anger problems, he's usually a pretty cool raptor :D_

_old chuck: Coming right up! Although hilarious isn't the word I'd use...read on :)_

_Ny'Kle: Thank you! My goal is to be original as possible._

_Lelle-Smile: Thanks so much! I'm glad you like the love triangle...it always makes a story more interesting if you ask me. I'll try to update every couple days, so stay tuned! :3_

* * *

Grace's POV

"I don't want to learn how to hunt with her. She scares me."

"Why are you so afraid of her?" Gryphon asked. "She's really not all that scary, right, Adalinda?"

Adalinda, Gryphon's orange scaled sister, nodded in agreement. "Cleo's sweet if you get to know her. She just has the hots for Gryphon, that's all. She's jealous of you Grace, don't let it get to you."

"Plus, she's the best hunter in the pack. In order to be the best, you've got to learn from the best. And Cleo is the master."

I had now been living with Gryphon and his pack for over three months. My leg was entirely healed by now, and I had forgiven Gryphon for causing me all that pain in the first place. The other members of the pack had grown to at least tolerate me; others accepted me as a full member of the pack. I had also become so accustomed to hearing the raptors talk that I had learned their exact language. We could now have full conversations, even if I was speaking English and they were speaking Raptor. I had given up on returning to my meat-free life, and had been taught how to catch small lizards and even birds. If I was having a good day, I could grab one of those speedy compsognathuses for dinner. Currently Gryphon and Adalinda were attempting to convince me to learn to hunt larger animals, pack-style...with the help of a certain raptor that hated my guts.

I grumbled in defeat. "I'm really not comfortable with this..." My willpower snapped when I saw the look that Gryphon gave me. His puppy dog eyes were impossible to resist. "Fine! I'll give her a chance, but if she tries anything, I'm done, ok?"

Gryphon chirped in joy. "Fine, fine. I'll send Zakkon to keep an eye out for you."

I moaned. "Not Zakkon, anyone but him!" Zakkon was the black raptor that had guarded me while my leg was still healing. The closer that Gryphon and I got, the closer my bond became with his immediate family: Adalinda and Zakkon. While Adalinda was like a big sister to me, Zakkon was more of a protective father. I loved him, but wished he would give me even a little room to breathe. "He's even more protective than you, Gryphon! He never allows me even leave the den without an escort, what makes you think he'll let me risk my well-being on a hunting trip?"

Gryphon rolled his eyes. "You're exaggerating, Grace. Now go, Cleo's waiting."

I followed his gaze to where Cleo, whose blue alpha feathers had faded, and Zakkon were waiting for me. I sighed heavily. "You know I'm going to kill you if I survive this, I hope you know that. Don't think you can escape my wrath either, Ada."

The two siblings exchanged humorous glances. "Go!" they said in unison.

I walked off, grumbling mindlessly about stuck up raptors.

Cleo was tapping her hooked claw of the ground impatiently. "Look who finally decided to show," she sneered. "Gryphon's little play thing."

Zakkon snarled ferociously in my defense. "Watch who you're talking to, Cleopatra. Both Grace and I have higher ranks than you, and I order you to check your tone." Zakkon was the Delta male, or third in charge behind Gryphon and Silas, his cousin.

Cleo tossed her head vainly. "Oh please, a human will never rank over me, no matter what title she holds." I heard her mumble under her breath. "Or what title she stole from me..." And with that she stalked off into the forest. "You two coming?" she shouted behind her.

"Sure," I sulked, having been completely silent up until this point.

Zakkon remained perpetually glued to my side, sniffing the air for any larger predators. Although velociraptors were the size of a large human, there were certainly other terrifying monsters that roamed Jurassic Park that were capable of tearing a raptor to shreds, not to mention a small human like myself.

I jumped when I heard a loud rustling on my left side. Zakkon spun around, growling, challenging the unknown visitor to show itself. "Raptor," he said to me as he sniffed the air.

Out of the bushes emerged Caspian, who neared Zakkon and me. "Hunting trip I see. Mind if I join you?"

Zakkon began to spit out a strict comeback, but I placed my hand on his neck, signaling him that it was alright.

"Of course you can come, Cas. The more raptors there are, the better out chances are of bringing down the prey."

He nodded happily, and took a place by my side. Zakkon kept one eye on him at all times, his gaze like sharp knives; it wasn't a secret that Caspian had a soft spot for Grace, and Zakkon wasn't about to let this other raptor slither in between her and Gryphon.

We eventually made it to the end of the jungle and stood just inside its perimeter, our eyes peeled on the herd of tethyshadros (AN: If you haven't heard of it, it's one of the smallest hadrosaurs, about 13 ft long, 5"5 at the shoulder, and 770lbs. I thought Grace should start off small...ish.) I gripped the knife that I held in my right hand tightly; I had found it on the ground near the feeding building, and had found much better use for it than it's previous owner, whose bloody carcass I discovered as well.

The herd grazed lazily, completely unaware of the danger that lurked in the shadows not even 30 feet away.

The three raptors crouched down on their haunches, preparing themselves to strike. Zakkon turned to me and opened his mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by Caspian. "Here's how it's going to go, Grace. Zakkon and Cleo will circle around and drive the prey towards us. When they're close enough, follow my lead, and we'll cut one off from the rest of the herd. After that, it's simple: bring the creature down. Got it?"

I nodded my head. "Ya, I think so. I'll try my best...I guess." Somehow the thought of using my tiny knife to take down a hadrosaur 650 pounds larger than me didn't seem so thrilling anymore.

"I believe that it's in all of our best interests if I stayed here with Grace and you went with Cleo," Zakkon protested to Caspian, his eyes tiny slits of anger as he stared at said raptor.

"Are you questioning my plan?" Caspian asked.

"Are you questioning my authority?" Zakkon countered angrily.

The two velociraptors stood completely still for a few moments, glaring with hate at each other. "Fine," Caspian said, finally breaking the silence. "We'll go with your plan."

"Good, you've finally come to your senses. Now go," Zakkon hissed to Cas, and nodded at Cleo, who had stayed silent the whole time. This worried me; it was extremely unorthodox for her to skip the opportunity to add a few sly remarks to a conversation. When they disappeared from sight, Zakkon turned to me.

"That bastard Caspian! Thinks he can do whatever he wants because his father used to be alpha!"

"Wait, say that again?" I asked in utter shock. "Caspian's dad used to be the alpha of this pack?!"

Zakkon tilted his head at me in confusion. "You didn't know? His father Lorcan practically founded this pack, that is, before Gryphon took control."

"Lorcan...is Caspian's father," I repeated in shock. The same Lorcan that has most likely wanted to tear me to shreds and gobble me up ever since I joined this pack. Another realization hit me. "That means that Caspian was in line for the alpha position."

"Correct."

"Until Gryphon took the alpha place from Lorcan."

"Also correct."

"And you never thought to mention that little detail to me?"

"It didn't seem like a relevant topic until now. Lorcan was an evil leader, so Gryphon overthrew him. Simple as that."

"So does that make Cas...an outcast? Like his father?"

Zakkon spun his head around, sighing deeply. "It's...complicated," he replied. "Technically his is. Think about it: have you ever seen him talking with anyone but you or Gryphon? Or eating with the pack? Or even sleeping in the same area as the pack?"

I thought about it for a moment. "Now that you mention it...no."

"Gryphon probably doesn't even know that he's here with us. In fact, Gryphon is the only reason why Caspian and Lorcan still live with our pack. They were friends as chicks."

"They were friends? What do you mean were?"

"That's also complicated," Zakkon replied, eager to change the subject. "Look, it's starting."

I turned my attention to the open field, where Cleo and Caspian were dashing towards the herd. They were darting after a slow and older looking male, veering sharply to the left in order to corner it. It was approaching our hiding spot rapidly, bellowing in fear.

"I don't know if I can-"

"Yes, you can," Zakkon finished. "I know you can Grace. You're one of us, and a raptor can do anything."

"You can't fly."

"Well...almost everything. Now!"

Together we burst out of the woods, running side by side (Zakkon going significantly slower than normal to keep my speed) in the direction of the tethyshadros.

"Charge!" I shouted, which was echoed by roars from Zakkon and Caspian, followed by a half-hearted hiss from Cleo.

Caspian was the first to make it to the fleeing dinosaur. He launched himself onto its back, digging his hooked claws and pointy talons into its vulnerable flesh. I cried out loudly, but stayed on its feet.

Cleo was next; she leaped on for the ride next to Cas, taking a large bite out of the tethyshadros's neck. Blood spewed everywhere, draining the lifeblood from the wounded dinosaur.

Zakkon and I made it to our prey at the same time. While he jumped on and pushed the beast to the ground, I thrust my knife deep into the head of the tethyshadros. With one sharp twist it was over.

"I'm sorry," I said to the once living creature. "I tried to make it as quick and painless as possible."

Meanwhile, Cleo began to rip into the dinosaur's flesh, coming up with a snout stained with blood. I looked away, the image triggering gruesome memories of the night Caleb died. I composed myself and squatted down next to the carcass. "I should really teach you guys some proper etiquette."

I pulled my dagger out of the terhyshadros's head, wiping the blade off on the grass then digging it back into the beast's hide. I sliced off a decent portion of meat and began to chop it into edible pieces.

I felt the ground underneath me shake. Then again. And again. Like footsteps.

I looked at Zakkon. "The herd?"

He shook his head, getting swiftly to his feet. "No. Something bigger."

I gazed nervously around the clearing, waiting for something to happen. "T-rex?"

This time Caspian replied, his voice only a whisper. "Bigger."

Cleo let out a hiss of fear and my eyes popped out of my head as an enormous spinosaurus charged towards our kill, jaws open and the sail on its back displayed ferociously.

"I knew this was a bad idea."

_AN: A very bad idea indeed! Don't you just hate cliffhangers? Review what you want to see happen next, or in future chapters...I'm taking any ideas you guys want me to squeeze in! I already have a good idea of where this fic is going, but if any of you want to see something else thrown in, let me know!_


	10. Chapter 10: Run

CHAPTER 10: Run

_AN: Wow, I've just been overwhelmed by the amount of positive reviews I've been getting! I love each any every one of you guys, and I'm so thankful to have such amazing readers! :)_

_Dustchu: I really appreciate the grammer corrections. I've gone back and changed the mistakes. Animal calls and the beach are both great ideas, thank you! I'll be sure to credit you if I use them! Maybe I'll have Grace show the raptors how to twerk ;) In the meantime, enjoy this: . _

_old chuck: Wow, your favorite? *happy dance* Gracias!_

_hermonine: Thank you! Here's the update for you :)_

_cartec677: Thanks a billion! I'm glad you like it so far!_

_Lina Marie: Hey, the genre of this story is suspense for a reason! Haha :D_

_Lelle-Smile: You always have to have some spiny action in a JP fanfic, it's just law :) We shall see who she ends up with...even I'm torn, one day I'll prefer Gryphon and the next I'll be rooting for Cas. What is wrong with me? xD_

_belle: Here's some more for you! Thank you so much._

* * *

Grace's POV

"Run!" Zakkon screeched, grabbing my hand and pulling it roughly, urging me to run for my life.

"It doesn't want us, right?" I asked hopefully as I ran for my life. "Just our kill?"

"That's where you're unfortunately wrong. Spinosaurus prefers live prey over carrion."

I gulped. Of course it did. We were dead, we were so dead.

The spinosaurus was gaining on us fast. We were almost to the dense jungle, but I assumed that something as petty as trees wouldn't stop the tremendously horrifying creature.

I looked back to see the spinosaurus stomp straight over the fallen tethyshadros's carcass and make a beeline for the other raptors and me.

"But...why...would it...be here?" I huffed, my breath beginning to run out.

"Prey must be getting more scarce towards its own territory," Cas replied casually, seemingly unworried about the giant spino charging behind us.

And just when I though it couldn't possibly get any worse, it did.

Another spinosaurus crashed out of the forest to our right, snapping at our heels.

"What are two spinosaurs doing here?! They're not pack hunters!" I screamed over the unbearably loud stomping, which had now doubled due to the arrival of the second spino.

"And you thought that all raptors were evil!" Zakkon shouted, his voice uncharacteristically caked with fear. "They must be mates!"

An ear-splitting roar echoed behind us, and I glanced back to see the monsters a mere fifteen feet away. I had started to slowly fall behind, considering that the raptors among me could run four times faster.

"Don't trip, don't trip, don't trip," I said over and over to myself, recalling my escape attempt over three months ago.

Hot breath puffed inches behind me, and I pushed myself to run faster. It was getting increasingly harder to keep my feet moving; I wouldn't be able to sprint for much longer. I was already losing speed rapidly.

I felt a presence behind me, and the ground disappeared beneath my feet. I let out a gasp in shock as Caspian grabbed me and flung me on his back effortlessly just as a duo of giant shadows passed over the two of us.

Cas made a sharp veer to the left, forming a U-turn and dashing back towards our fallen prey. One of the spinosaurs followed in pursuit, while the other stayed on track with Zakkon and Cleo.

"What are you doing?!" I shouted at the raptor. "There's no way we'll be able to lose it in this big open field!"

"Just trust me!" Cas yelled back. "If you trust me, you know I'd never let anything happen to you, ever!"

I held on to his shimmering blue scales with an iron grip. "I trust you with my life Cas," I whispered softly, knowing that every word of that sentence was pure fact. Ever since I had first met him, Caspian has only wanted the best for me.

Caspian meant so much to me. He was like my family, like the brother I never had.

Except, I realized abruptly, that he was more than just a brother.

And yet...images of Gryphon flooded my mind. I couldn't imagine life without him now that I'd been living with him for three months, which had seemed like three years.

I laughed at myself, somewhat crazily. I was starting to sound like a desperate teenager locked in a love triangle. Instead, I was a homeless sixteen year old who couldn't sort out her feelings for deadly raptors that I had earlier considered to be flesh eating beasts.

A deafening roar shocked me out of my reverie. I shook my head violently, dispelling all thoughts of Cas and Gryphon and love triangles.

My heart stopped when I felt a forceful tug on my shirt, which would have ripped me off Caspian's back if I hadn't been gripping his back so tightly; instead, hot slobber trickled down my back as the back of my shirt was torn off my body by the spinosaurus that was still chasing us (he's a persistent son of a bitch, that's for sure). The shadow over us disappeared, and upon looking back I saw the spino ripping apart the remains of my shirt, bloodstained from the tethyshadros's carcass.

"Damn it!" I grumbled, realizing that I would have to find another shirt somewhere on this hellish island. And who knows what I'd run into on the way there.

I shivered as I felt the dinosaur's bloody drool cascade down my back. I was in serious need of a bath as well.

Too occupied with my shredded shirt to notice its prey escaping, the spino spun around and lumbered away in the opposite direction.

"That was your plan?!" I screamed shrilly at Cas. "To use me as bait?!"

"Ur, well, no, not exactly. That worked out just as well, but it wasn't what I was planning. I was originally going to-"

**_CRASH!_**

Cas skid to a halt moments before an enormous tree fell in our path. More cracking of wood sounded from the jungle, and out emerged the second spinosaur, an intimidating and furious look in its eyes.

I couldn't spot any evidence that it had made a kill, so I assumed that Zakkon and Cleo had eluded its jaws. Cas and I, on the other hand, were not as fortunate.

"Shit!" Caspian hissed, turning on his heels. The spino snapped its jaws at us, missing by mere inches.

Just my luck that we had to evade not one, but two spinosaurs.

"Now would be a good time for that plan, before the other one hears its mate and comes back!" I urged.

"I'm working on it!" Cas retorted.

Caspian made his way to the edge of the clearing, and was now running along the border of the forest. The spinosaurus was gaining, running on pure rage and instinct.

"Duck!" Caspian bellowed.

Without warning he shot off like a rocket into the cover of the trees, almost throwing me off balance and sending me flying. He began to weave in and out of foliage, traveling deeper into the jungle only to emerge out onto the open field again. The spinosaurus would follow, rampaging through the trees, but I looked back to see it getting whiplashed by flying branches and tree trunks. It ran into a tree and stumbled, roaring louding at its offender. With out lash of the dinosaur's tail, the tree soared to the ground and collided with an ear-splitting crack.

While the spino had occupied itself with taking down the tree, Caspian (with me still clinging onto his back for dear life) fled deeper into the forest. The spinosaurus faded out of view, obscured by the thick ferns and leaves.

I let out a sigh of relief after a few minutes; I couldn't hear the spinosaurus chasing after us. It must have lost our scents, confused bu the mixture of all of the other smells on the island.

Caspian gradually came to a stop and allowed me to slide clumsily off his back.

"Do you think Zakkon and Cleo are ok?" I wondered out loud.

"I would assume so. There was no indication that the spinosaurus had made a recent kill. They're most likely at the nest."

That made me feel better. "Ya, they must be."

Finally we made it back to the nest. I was slightly limping and my clothes-or rather, what was left of them-were completely soaked in blood and mud. It was embarrassing enough that I had to clutch the tattered remains of my shirt to my chest, but I was morbid with embarrassment when both Gryphon and Adalinda made a scene by rushing up to me and dragging me to the nearest nest to inspect my wounds, which were limited to a few scratches.

"I'm fine, really!" I tried to convince them. "Maybe in desperate need of a new shirt, though."

"I just need to be completely sure," he replied, nuzzling my body to see if I would react to any pressure on my 'wounds'.

As Gryphon searched my body for damage, Caspian explained to Adalinda what had happened. I surveyed the den, and notices the absence of two raptors.

"Where are Zakkon and Cleo?" I asked hysterically. "They didn't make it back?!" Although Cleo wasn't my favorite raptor, she was still technically family, and I would never wish death upon her. And Zakkon, of course, was almost as close to me as Gryphon and Caspian.

Adalinda shook her head. "They are not back yet, no. But Zakkon and Cleo are some of the best trackers in the pack; it's no challenge for them to make it back to camp. They probably got sidetracked somewhere along the way."

"We have to go look for them!" I shouted.

"No," Gryphon said firmly. "You've been through enough already."

"I'll take someone with me, nothing's going to happen-"

"But what if something does happen? Hm? Like on that hunting trip, did you think anything was going to happen then?"

"That was a one time thing! What were the odds of even one spinosaurus, let alone two, crossing paths with us?"

"I told you NO_._"

"But I'm saying yes! It's your brother, Gryphon!"

"My brother who can fend for himself!"

"What if he can't this time? He's not invincible! And what about my shirt? I'll need to go out and get a new one."

"I'll go and get it for you."

"No! Why won't you let me do anything?!"

"Because _I CAN'T LOSE YOU GRACE_!" His voice was nothing but a furious roar, echoing through the camp. All eyes were on us. He lowered his voice to a soft whisper. "You could have died today. And I wouldn't be able to live with myself knowing that it was I who sent you in that hunting trip. So you stay here until I get back."

I was completely silent. I didn't know how to respond; I was as lifeless as a wax figure.

Gryphon recomposed himself and began again. "I'll find Zakkon and Cleo, and that strange black scale covering you call a shirt. Don't know why you'd need one but..." He turned around and called out to Silas, the Beta male. "Watch out for her."

And then he was gone, leaving me sitting there, splayed out in my nest, pondering on what I had just experienced. He couldn't live without me...and I knew deep down that my heart longed to say the same thing to him. There was just one thing-or raptor, I might say-standing in the way.

_AN: Another Gryphon and Grace moment? I think yes. Don't worry Caspian lovers, with Gryphon gone, you know that Cas will be there...I'll try to update again this weekend, but in the meantime leave reviews my lovelies! _


	11. Chapter 11: A Different Point of View

CHAPTER 11: A Different Point of View

_AN: Behold, the longest (and most poorly written, if you ask me) of any chapter so far! Bear with me on this one; if the story is getting to mushy or corny during my sad attempts at writing 'romantic' scenes, please warn me. I'd hate to have my story decline in quality the further on a get, but trust me, this chapter leads up to something big. Plus, the next chapter will be much more interesting: Gryphon's past (and why he has anger issues) will be revealed! So stay tuned and read on! Now for my fabulous reviewers: _

_Lina Marie: Aw, you're review made me shed a tear, it was so cute :') _

_old chuck: Ya, it could happen! They're probably not in good terms with each other at the moment._

_hermonine: Haha thank you, I wanted to shake things up with the love triangle! I don't even know how I'll make Grace choose...I love both Gryph and Cas, I don't want to cast one of my characters out!_

_cartec677: Thank you, thank you, thank you! I'm thrilled that you like it! :D_

_Dustchu: Lots of mistakes, whoops! There'll probably be a lot in this chapter...I finished it at one in the morning! Thank you so much for your input! Haha, love cube xD _

* * *

**Gryphon's POV**

**My emotions were a swirling mass of insanity inside my body. I couldn't sort one out from the other: confusion, rage, sadness, longing...**

**Zakkon was missing, along with Cleo. Why they hadn't made it back to the nest yet was an unsettling thought. On this island, you could never be to sure as to what might be lurking in the shadows. **

**Finally I couldn't stand it. When I was far enough away from camp, I let out a fearsome roar that frightened even myself. I raked my claws along the bark of the nearest tree, gouging deep marks in the wood. An unlucky compsognathus darted past me, but it didn't get any farther. In one swift movement I snapped the creature up in my jaws and crushed its tiny head. Just to be sure it was dead, I shook it violently and sent it flying into a nearby tree. In no time there was a swarm of compys devouring the fallen creature. I snorted and exited the area. **

**After I had satisfied my emotions in one mighty roar, I sniffed the air, trying to pinpoint Zakkon or Cleo's scent. Caspian had reported that the two had raced off in the opposite direction of the camp to evade the spinosaurs. The smartest thing to do at this point would be to circle back to the site of the hunt and try to follow a path of footprints or scents from there.**

**A few minutes passed until I made it to the hunting clearing. It was the same one that the pack always used; the herds of hadrosaurs that grazed here were to dim-witted to notice that my pack hunted in this location almost every day. The field here was also one of the safest-at least, for a velociraptor-on the entire island. It was too small for a T-rex to include in its territory, and it was entirely surrounded by the dense, tropical jungle, making it hard for larger predators to even make it here. So why would a spinosaurus come here in the first place?**

**A herd of gryphosaurs was milling around the edge of the clearing, clearly avoiding the fallen tethyshadros in the center of the field. Instinctively I licked my chops. My name derived from the title of these dinosaurs, and they were my favorite kill. **

**"No," I reminded myself. "Another time. There are more important matters at hand."**

**I made my way over to the hadrosaur carcass, the herd of gryphosaurs paying no attention to me. Upon inspection of the corpse I determined that it was definitely killed by the earlier hunting party; the slashes along its ribs and throat suggested the work of Grace's strange, handheld claw.**

**I sniffed the air again; the scent of my human and my fellow raptors began to course through my nostrils. I also caught sight of several raptor and human footprints, along with larger spinosaurus tracks. I followed the trail to the tree line, where the prints became extremely faded and almost impossible to trace.**

**"Damnit!" I cursed my luck out loud. I had to keep my snout pressed to the ground in order to see the tracks, which was a risky procedure, even for a predator. You could never be to cautious, so I constantly lifted my head to inspect for any danger.**

**The faint trail of prints led me to one of the peculiar human creations that Grace called a building. The scents of Zakkon and Cleo were unmistakable by now; they were without a doubt inside this human nest. **

**I approached what appeared to be an entrance and stepped through the threshold and into the vicinity of the building. Even I couldn't have anticipated my own reaction when I beheld the interior. **

**The walls were filled with images of every single type of predator and prey on the island, from the mighty spinosaurus to the flittering archaeopteryx. I spotted a pack of velociraptors towards the center of the mural, and to my pleasure it depicted us chasing after a hadrosaur, preparing to bring it down. I immediately recoiled though, remembering the creature that had created this piece of artwork and how its kind was responsible for my previous captivity. The moment of respect I had for the human artist turned into one of malice.**

**I delved deeper into the facility, passing rooms that confused me as much as they fascinated me. The humans were certainly intelligent; but their intellect was clouded by the idea of their superiority. If they could see that, they would have realized that keeping my pack and I locked up was futile from the very beginning.**

**However, if not for the humans and their cages, I would never have met Grace. I secretly thanked the humans for that aspect.**

**The smell of fresh blood swirled around me, clogging my nose to anything but the iron-like scent. I picked up my pace until I was sprinting through the long halls. I skidded to a stop when I reached the site of the blood smell. I kicked down the barrier of wood between the source and me and charged into the room.**

**Spread out on the floor was Cleo, the golden scales on her side streaked with blood. Zakkon sat by her side, helping to lick the dried blood away. When I entered the room, neither one of them lifted their heads.**

**"Zakkon? Cleo?" I asked. They both remained unresponsive. **

**"Zakkon, how did you get here? What happened to Cleo?"**

**Nothing.**

**"Report, Zakkon!"**

**Zakkon shook his head. "We don't know what it was." **

**I stared at him in disbelief. "Excuse me?"**

**He turned his gaze on me and repeated in a firm tone: "We don't know what it was. We had just escaped the spinosaurus when out of nowhere something swooped down and attacked Cleo. It was gone before either of us could see it."**

**I remained silent. What could possibly have been responsible for this? It couldn't have been a T-rex or a spino, or even an allosaurus; they were all too large to inflict damage then flee like that. Could it have been a dilophosaurus? Or even another raptor?**

**No, none of those options fit the bill. I shuddered, imagining what could be capable of this.**

**Cleo coughed, blood staining the floor as she moved. Even from this distance I could tell she was in no shape to move tonight. The sun had already fallen below the tree line, and some stray stars poked through the darkening sky. We would have to camp here for the night.**

**I curled up next to the female raptor, who scooted closer to my body despite what appeared to be painful movements. I tolerated her being so close due to the circumstances.**

**"Don't move," I whispered in her ear, trying to calm her. "It'll only make the wound worse."**

**Cleo chuckled under her breath. "It's already worse," she replied. "I feel like my body's on fire."**

**Zakkon spoke up. "I've already licked most of the blood away, and the saliva seems to be clearing up the slash. As long as it doesn't get infected, she should make it."**

**I nodded. "Thank you for looking after her Zakkon." I would never have any feelings of love towards Cleo other than sibling love; she was like my sister. It would be torture to see her go, even if I complained about her 24/7. But Zakkon said she would be ok. She would survive this.**

**"We should stay here for the night; if you're strong enough the leave in the morning we'll go then," I instructed. The two raptors under my command bobbed their heads in agreement.**

**"Zakkon," I called on my brother. "Grace lost her 'shirt' during the episode with the spino. I'm sure you'll be able to find one around here somewhere."**

**He stood up and, without a word, exited the room, leaving Cleo and I alone.**

**An awkward silence fell upon us for too long. We laid there together, unmoving, each of us unwilling to break the hiatus. Finally, Cleo decided to speak.**

**"I'm glad you found us," she cooed, nuzzling my snout fondly. "I don't know what we would have done. Zakkon couldn't have brought me back to the den by himself. I could have died, but now you're here." She nestled deeper into the black and orange scales along my stomach. **

**"Don't be ridiculous," I scoffed. "Zakkon would have gone back to the den and gotten help. I'm no hero; stop being so dramatic, I'm not in the mood."**

**I pushed myself away from her and placed my head on the cold floor. It was extremely uncomfortable; I already longed to be back in my nest with Grace.**

**Cleo slid across the tiles towards me and once again attached herself to my side. "Anyways, I'm thankful that we have some alone time together. I never get to talk to you anymore, my alpha."**

**Probably because I'm the one avoiding you, I wanted to say. But instead I sighed: "Just get some sleep, Cleo. It will help your wound." As much as I wished to ask her about the creature that caused this, I decided not to trouble her about it. She had had a rough day. But Cleo insisted on continuing our tedious conversation.**

**"How do you feel about me?" she asked, feigning an innocent tone. **

**"You're like family to me," I answered monotonously.**

**"Could you expand on the term 'family'?" she questioned, her tone escalating into one that could only mean one thing: she wanted answers, and answers that pleased her nonetheless.**

**"I think of you as more of a sister than anything else." I turned my dark eyes to face her own. "Sorry to disappoint." **

**She looked appalled. "You'd never even consider me as...as your mate?" she asked, her voice a small whimper.**

**"No."**

**"Not even-"**

**"No."**

**"But-"**

**"No."**

**Cleo abruptly got to her feet, hissing under her breath when the pain in her side shot through her whole body due to her movement. Despite the pain, she extended her neck and roared at me.**

**"You selfish son of a bitch! I've shown nothing but gratitude, and this is how you treat me?! You think I'm no better than one of the omegas, don't you? That's why you won't acknowledge my attempts at admitting my feelings for you!"**

**"What are you talking about?! You've been trying to get my attention since we were chicks! What has changed?"**

**"Grace, that's what! That little bitch comes along and all you can do is fawn over her!"**

**I was taken aback. I stood up and crossed the room, roaming as far away possible from Cleo as I could get while trapped inside this small enclosed area. It was like being stuck in the humans' cages all over again. "Don't you ever say that about her."**

**Cleo glared at me furiously, her gaze piercing my vision like knives. "Say what? That she's a-"**

**I sprinted over to Cleo (which only took a fraction of a second in this human cave) and hissed in her face to cut her off, angrier than I had ever been in my entire life. **

**"If you say one more word about her, I will personally rip the lungs out of your chest and leave your corpse here to rot," I spat, my voice dripping with venom. Cleo backed off, ducking her head in fear. Although I could still catch a glimmer of her trademark smirk plastered on her face. She knew she had hit me deep.**

**But she wouldn't stop there.**

**"Temper, temper," she mused. "Don't you ever think its scares Grace that you're always like this? I mean Caspian is always so kind and forgiving around her."**

**That really got under my skin. "What are you talking about?"**

**"You know that you're not the only one that Grace has her eyes on you know."**

**A thousand imaginary insects crawled under my scales. I shivered, unresponsive.**

**Cleo kept her steady gaze on me, her voice calm as she continued. "You think you're special to her? Think again."**

**I'd had enough at this point. "You know nothing about us!" I bellowed, displaying my alpha feathers menacingly. "Watch how you speak to your alpha, Cleo."**

**Said raptor snorted pretentiously. "Why can't you get it though your thick skull? Grace is using you to keep herself alive. She doesn't care about any of us, and you're no exception."**

**"Quiet!" I roared. But I couldn't help the minuscule voice inside me that screamed that she was right. I pushed the thought aside; the last time I'd had doubts about Grace I had almost killed her. Never again would I question myself with her. Whatever choice she made, I would respect it.**

**"And Caspian, as I mentioned earlier, also has feelings for her," Cleo chattered. "Don't blame him; she's trying to tear you two apart, you know. She can't be trusted!"**

**"Enough!" I screeched firmly, ending the conversation. "This discussion is over."**

**"Can't you tell? Caspian and Grace are probably together right now, discussing how to get you out of the-"**

**Zakkon entered the room, a shirt dangling from his jaws. He placed it on the floor with a confused look. I'm sure the scene before him looked peculiar; both Cleo and I stood in defensive postures, fanning out our feathers and hissing harshly. **

**"Did I miss something?" he asked.**

**"No," I answered.**

**"Nothing at all," Cleo replied**

**Looking skeptical, Zakkon nodded and settled down in a separate corner. Cleo and I took opposite sides of the room while I grumbled, beyond annoyed, beyond furious.**

**Zakkon shot me a questioning look, which I decided to ignore. I flipped over to face the wall, beginning to regret going to look for Zakkon and Cleo alone. If I had taken a partner, we may have been able to manage carrying Cleo back to the camp tonight. Unfortunately, I was now stuck here with my awkward brother and an enraged Cleo.**

**Things just couldn't have gone any better, I though sarcastically as I drifted off into a dreamless sleep.**

**Zakkon's POV**

**I cracked one eye open, checking to see if Cleo was asleep or not. Her chest moved rhythmically up and down, and a light snore escaped from her nostrils, so I assumed her to be sleeping. **

**"Gryphon," I called softly. "Gryphon, we need to talk."**

**I got no response. "Come on, Gryp, I know you're awake. What were you and Cleo talking about? I can tell you're upset."**

**Nothing.**

**I snorted and stopped my fruitless attempts at getting my brother to speak. I would try again in the morning. But for now I brooded over what I had heard from Cleo while I had eavesdropped: Caspian and Grace.**

**I'd had my suspicions earlier, but now that they were confirmed and shared by another member of the pack, I was positive that it meant only trouble between Gryphon and Caspian. **

**They both had their hearts set on Grace, that was clear. But I knew that Grace wouldn't be able to pick one over the other, as much as her two suitors would want her to. She was the kind of person that hated to disappoint. The situation spelled out only one thing: chaos.**

_AN: Well, what do you all think of Zakkon's POV at the end? I'm thinking of adding his and Caspian's POVs to the storyline to shake things up a bit. Maybe I'll add Cleo or Lorcan's (who has a bigger part later) POVs in the future, or maybe not if people think it'll get to complicated. I'm leaving it up to you guys: should I add more of Zakkon and Cas's POVs? Leave an answer as a review! :D All of you guys are amazing for the reviews so far!_


	12. Chapter 12: Reflections of the Past

CHAPTER 12: Reflections of the Past

_AN: Wow, it's been a long time! Sorry for the long wait guys...I've only been in school for a month and it's already the death of me. I'll try to update as often as possible, I promise! Thanks again to all of my loyal reviewers! I response to you all: yes, Cleo is the queen bitch, but she'll get what's coming to her! (Mwahahaha) And I am now going to expand to Grace, Gryphon, Caspian, Zakkon, and maybe even Cleo and Adalinda's POVs! Exciting, no?_

**Caspian's POV **

**I noticed that even after a couple hours the shock of Gryphon's confession hadn't completely subsided. Grace still had a dazed look on her face as if this were all a dream. I dared not approach her. Instead, I stood towards the edge of the cluster of nests. I had no desire to go to my nest, for it was on the very outskirts of the camp, next to my father's. The omega's nest. I wouldn't be able to see Grace from there.**

**I waited another half hour. Gryphon had still not returned and I didn't think he would tonight. He was still alive, I was sure of it. But knowing him, he had set up a temporary camp somewhere, and wouldn't be back until morning.**

**By now Grace actually seemed to be showing signs of life. The cloudy look in her eyes drifted away, and she observed her surroundings wearily. She began to squirm into a comfortable position, and I couldn't hold back a smile as she shivered when a chilly breeze passed by. She looked so peaceful; I couldn't stop myself from walking over to her and settling down next to her. She immediately scooted closer to my warm body. **

**"Hello there," I whispered casually. "Long time no see."**

**"Hi Gryphon," she replied sleepily. I blinked in shock. She thought that I was Gryphon?**

**"I...It's Caspian," I replied awkwardly.**

**Grace's eyes shot open. She sat up and simply stared at me, unmoving and silent. After a few moments she shook her head and answered, "I'm sorry, it's just been a long day, and I..." She trailed off upon seeing the look on my face. "But it's ok now, I just...is Lorcan really your father?"**

**That question threw me so much off guard that I nearly toppled to the ground. "Um...excuse me?"**

**"No, I mean if it's not a topic you want to talk about then-"**

**"Grace," I cut her off. She looked down, clearly embarrassed by her outburst. I placed a clawed hand under her chin and directed her gaze to my face. "You deserve to know. I can't keep anything from you."**

**However, I knew that last sentence was a lie. I could keep one thing from her: my plans to overthrow Gryphon. But she needn't not know that at the moment.**

**Grace tilted her head, waiting to her what I had to say. I took a deep breath, then began.**

**"Lorcan was the first velociraptor ever created by the humans. He was the first leader of this pack. Of course, he started off female, if you can believe that. Didn't last very long though; the process of evolution is a funny thing. When Lorcan turned male, he took my mother, Kiara, as his mate. She conceived me...and my brother, Azazel."**

**Grace looked confused, and even a bit uncomfortable. I could tell she was already formulating the end result of my story. **

**At this point I looked away from Grace. "You've probably wondered why Gryphon possesses such a strong hatred for your kind. Why he ordered the killing of all humans. Why he nearly killed you." I turned back to face my human. "The humans killed Gryphon's family."**

**I could detect the horror in Grace's voice as she stammered, "W-what do you mean?"**

**I could stop here. Save her all of this anxiety of Gryphon's-and my own-past. But something inside myself urged me to press on. She needed to know why I was the rightful leader of this pack.**

**"Gryphon's father was the second male raptor. Except he didn't change into a male raptor. He was born male. The humans let this one mutation slide; I mean, what could go wrong? They realized their mistake when this male raptor mated and had a whole batch of chicks, most of which were males. They feared the population would get out of hand if we velociraptors could reproduce as we pleased. 'Population control' they called it. Better known as murder."**

**"I don't know if I want to hear this," Grace gagged.**

**"They herded Gryphon's father into a small pen just on the outside of the main cage. Then they shot him with those black sticks you call a gun. Gryphon saw the entire thing."**

**"But it didn't end there. No, Gryphon's mother was beside herself in rage. She jumped the fence despite the electric currents that ran through it. She didn't make it very far, though. The humans shot her dead before she could make it completely over the fence. Gryphon and his two siblings, Zakkon and Adalinda, escaped into the forest before the humans could catch them. I suppose that they let them be since they were only chicks; but ever since then, only females came from the labs."**

**"Now, Lorcan took control over the whole pack. He kept order and peace within our ranks. Nothing ever went wrong. Sure, we were stuck in captivity, but we had food in plenty. We had enough space. Overall, we were a grateful pack. Years passed, and Gryphon and I grew up to be best friends. But Gryphon...he never gave up on his wish to make the humans pay for what they did to his parents. Adalinda and Zakkon remained faithful to our pack; but Gryphon's judgement became too clouded by his vengeance. And that's when it happened." **

**I glanced over at Grace to check on how she was doing. The look on her face caused my gut to wrench. I could see tears beginning to brim at the edges of her eyes. I almost regretted revealing this too her all at one time. I wrapped my tail around her body and brought her closer. She didn't speak, but she didn't protest either. I took that as a sign of acceptance, but I still feared that I had taken the story a little to far.**

**I went into the last part of my story. "Gryphon wouldn't accept our pack's living conditions. I admit, it wasn't ideal, but what could we do about it? Gryphon wasn't himself that day. A sort of...evil filled him. I'll never forget the look in his eyes as he attacked my father. Being younger and swifter, Gryphon easily overpowered Lorcan. However, my brother Azazel tried to defend my father. In a fit of rage, Gryphon struck down my brother. Except...he didn't just wound my brother. He killed him."**

**I could see the goosebumps forming on Grace's skin. I needed to conclude quickly.**

**"Gryphon took the throne, and cast my entire family out as the omegas of the pack. All but me. Although I still held the rank of omega, Gryphon allowed me to still be his advisor and friend. My mother passed away a few month's after my brother's death due to the shock. Her death never really affected me; I never was that close with her. My father refused to acknowledge me as long as I talked with Gryphon. Now it was Gryphon that felt the most remorse. For some time, I ruled the pack in his place while he coped with the reality of his actions. I eventually did forgive him for the murder of my brother, because I knew that he wasn't thinking straight. And now here we are. Now you know why Gryphon is...well, why he acts as he does."**

Grace's POV

"I never would have thought...but..." I trailed off, lost for words. Gryphon was much more broken and scarred then he made himself out to be. I couldn't help but feel sympathetic despite the crimes he had committed.

Caspian nuzzled my neck comfortingly. "I know it's a lot to comprehend all at once. But try to get some sleep now."

"But-" I began.

"Please," Cas begged. "Sleep. For me."

Reluctantly I nodded, and curled up into a ball to fight the cold. I shut my eyes for a few moments only to realize that Cas was still there. Although the images of Caspian's story flooded my thoughts, I couldn't help but notice that Cas didn't seem like he was going to move any time soon. I shifted my body to look up at him. He returned my gaze. After a moment or two he started to rise off the ground and out of the nest.

I grabbed his leg and held on tightly, silently begging him to stay. I simply needed someone there to comfort me and I didn't mind if that someone was Caspian. He wrapped himself around my body and laid his head on my stomach without protest. Soon I fell into an uneasy sleep that confirmed my worst fears: Gryphon tearing through my flesh and rampaging across the island, murdering everything in his path. I wouldn't admit it, but I was much more horrified than I let on. But maybe Cas saw it in my eyes. It was kind of hard to hide the feeling of fear I felt towards Gryphon during the climax of Caspian's story. I almost couldn't believe it, but for a moment I actually feared the tiger-striped velociraptor that had given me protection all this time.

* * *

**Caspian's POV**

**In the morning I woke to an empty nest. I bolted up, whipping my head from side to side in search of Grace. On the edge of the clearing, Silas saw my useless endeavors and called to me: "She went on a walk with Adalinda, if you were wondering."**

**I bobbed my head up and down in thanks. I stepped out of the nest that I had shared with Grace and approached Silas. "Do you know where they went?" **

**"I don't. But even if I did, I wouldn't tell you. You've already done enough to torment her. She didn't need to know about Gryphon."**

**My blood ran cold. "How did you-"**

**"I overheard you two last night." Silas looked at me with content. "That's not exactly the way to win the girl, you know." And with that he was gone, leaving me alone.**

**A call of welcome echoed throughout the camp. I followed it, expecting to see Grace and Adalinda, but instead I was met with the sight of Gryphon, Zakkon, and a wounded Cleo. Instinctively I raced to Cleo's side to help support her. Gryphon gave me a nod of thanks, but I had trouble maintaining eye contact with him. Together, along with Zakkon, we brought Cleo over to her nest. **

**"What happened?" I questioned.**

**"Something attacked her, but we don't know what. It was too fast to tell," Gryphon replied.**

**I bent down to inspect the slash. To my surprise, the gash looked as if it had been made by another velociraptor. I shook my head. That was impossible. The only other raptor with Cleo was Zakkon, and she would have know if he was the one who tried to maim her. It just didn't make sense.**

**"I'll take care of Cleo's wound. If you could go and fetch some plants to help patch up the wound, I'd be most grateful."**

**Gryphon acknowledged my request and walked off to grab the plants.**

**"Quick, we don't have much time," I said to Cleo. "I've been wanting to talk with you."**

**"I've been a little busy if you didn't notice," Cleo retorted, directing her gaze towards the slash on her stomach.**

**"Stop that and listen. You want Grace out of the way, right?"**

**Cleo lifted her head, clearly interested now. "I'm listening."**

**"Well, I've been thinking...what if I ran off with Grace and you distracted Gryphon long enough for us to escape undetected?"**

**"Hmm..." Cleo mused, considering the though. "And I'd be there to cushion the loss of Grace. Gryphon would come running to me."**

**"Precisely," I added. "It's a win win. Grace will be out of your life and Gryphon will be all yours."**

**"And if Gryphon goes after the two of you?" **

**"Trust me. I'll be taking Grace somewhere that Gryphon'll never find. And when he gives up on looking for his human, you'll be next in line for the position of alpha female."**

**Cleo smirked wickedly. "I like your style, Caspian. Let's do it."**

**I retuned her smile. "Tomorrow, when the sun is at its highest point in the sky, we'll execute our plan."**

**Gryphon retuned with the plants, and I chomped them into a paste which I applied to Cleo's wound, which would sooth the pain. I myself admired my plan. However, it would go a bit different than Cleo thought. She would never be alpha female.**

_AN: Dun Dun DUN...who can be trusted? Well I guess you'll just have to find out in the next chapter..._


	13. Chapter 13: Sorrow

CHAPTER 13: Sorrow

_AN: Sorry for such a late update my lovelies! School is a bitch . Warning of a darker side of both Gryphon and Cas during this chapter. Gotta make the story interesting, right? Thank you to all of my reviewers and followers, you guys are what keep me writing! :) Also, happy 2 month anniversary of On A Gryphon's Wings!_

_Lina Marie:__ Uh oh is right, just wait until you read this chapter!_

_hermonine:__ Thank you kindly, I really hope you like this chapter :D_

_old chuck:__ y tu chuck?_

_cartec677:__ Even more trouble's coming...and yet I still haven't picked who Grace will end up with yet xD_

_Dustchu:__ You'll get plenty of dark Caspian in this chapter my friend, you just wait :) Also your grammar correctors are a life saver! Thanks so much for that._

**Gryphon's POV**

**I watched as Caspian rubbed the plants on Cleo's wound. She would recover...although a small part of me wished she wouldn't. Cleo had gotten on my last nerve.**

** "Gryphon," a voice behind me said. I spun around to see Silas standing there, an anxious look in his eyes. I noticed it immediately, and it troubled me beyond belief. That was when I realized that Grace was gone.**

**"Silas? Where is Grace?!" I questioned urgently, starting to panic.**

** "Calm, my cousin. She is on a walk with your sister. They should be back shortly."**

**"But that's not what's worrying you, is it?" I asked suspiciously. If it had been Silas would not have been so composed about the subject.**

**"Sadly, no," he answered. "It's about Grace and Caspian."**

**My blood ran cold. "What about them?"**

**Silas cleared his throat; it was painfully obvious that he was uncomfortable with this conversation. Finally he managed to choke out a couple short sentences: "They slept in the same nest last night. And Caspian...he told Grace everything." Silas searched my face for a reaction. Oh, and I gave him a reaction.**

**I let out a mighty roar that shook the entire den. All eyes turned to me, utterly surprised, as I approached Caspian, who was still on the ground tending to Cleo. I was beyond reasonable at this point. My anger could not be yielded. I had one goal only: to make Caspian pay for what he told Grace. **

**I pinned Caspian to the ground and dug my claw into his scales, drawing blood. My mind didn't register the yelps of pain he made.**

**"Who were you to make that decision?! It was not your place, omega!" I bellowed, my jaws itching to close around Caspian's neck.**

**That was when it hit me; I had never referred to him as an omega before. My mind snapped itself back into focus of the task at hand. I growled maliciously, applying more pressure to Caspian's newly formed wound.**

**Caspian turned to look at me, shock and some regret plastered across his already pain-covered face. "Gryphon, what are you-"**

**"You know what I'm talking about! And if you deny it one more time I will rip your ****_THROAT_**** out!"**

**"Gryphon, this is all a misunderstanding, I was only trying to explain your hatred of humans to her, that's it!" He tried to wiggle out of my grip, but to no avail. "She deserved to know, am I correct? She was bound to find out sometime!" His voice then lowered so that only I could hear it. "This isn't you, Gryphon. You're past this now."**

**In a fit of rage I bit down on the back of Caspian's neck and threw him across the clearing. He landed with a loud thud, unmoving.**

**"Gryphon, what is wrong with you?" Cleo screamed in horror. "You killed him!"**

**"Quiet, bitch!" I screeched, shutting her up momentarily. "I should have killed you when I had the chance!" Cleo return my comment with a shocked and fearful stare. "Besides," I continued, "that wasn't a fatal blow, but it sure must have hurt like hell for him."**

**Zakkon and Silas tried to approach me, while Navaeh shielded the chicks from the sight of their leader gone rampant. "Back off!" I yelled at them, causing both to stop in their tracks. They didn't come any closer for fear of making the situation worse.**

**I stalked over to Caspian's twitching body. I snarled, almost enjoying this form of revenge. But I could never have seen what was coming next.**

**Caspian shot to his feet like a rocket and spun around violently, knocking me off my feet. He claimed the upper hand, taking my former position by raking his hooked claw across my vulnerable belly. I groaned in pain, watching helplessly as my crimson blood cascaded down my side.**

**I could feel the tension between my pack mates growing; this argument had escalated into a battle for power, and one that I was not willing to lose. As much as Zakkon and Silas wanted to step in and help, they were honor bound by raptor law to let the fight play out on its own, one on one. Just Caspian and me.**

**I forced myself to stand despite the jolt of pain that ran up my stomach. It took all my strength not to double over and give up.**

**Caspian licked his chops, clearing his muzzle of the blood smeared on it from when I threw him. "My turn," he growled villainously as we began to circle each other to keep an even distance. **

**"No unless I..." I trailed off, gasping at the effort it took, and continued, "attack first."**

**Caspian tilted his head. "Gryphon, would it not be so much easier just to give in now? Being an omega is really not as bad as it's made out the be," he persuaded.**

**"And what will become of Grace if I do so? You'll reveal to her all of my darkest secrets? Or worse, you'll court her?!" I barked back.**

**Caspian rolled his eyes. "Sometimes I wonder how you even managed to become leader; you're so incompetent." At my retaliating growl, Caspian countered: "Who says that last night was the first time Grace and I have been together alone? You know nothing about our relationship, but I can assure you, it by far transcends yours."**

**"I will not take any more of this nonsense!" I roared, charging towards Caspian. Although I was wounded, I was still a more skilled fighter; the playing field was even now.**

**I was taken by surprise and Caspian easily evaded my first assault, maneuvering his body to the side as I stormed past. He nicked the side if my lower jaw with his front talons, a grin slapped across his face. I came to a screeching halt, spinning around wildly to face him. "But you...but I'm-"**

**"I've had a bit of practice since our last duel which was, what, two years ago? Three?" Caspian's tone dropped drastically. "You have no idea how powerful I have become."**

**For the first time in my entire life, I actually feared for my life. I feared that Caspian would beat me, kill me, or worst of all: take Grace away from me. But what do I know? Grace meant more than anything to me; but what did I really mean to her?**

**I wouldn't give up. Not now.**

**I stalked closer to Caspian, using my size to my advantage. I fanned out my alpha feathers and pounced onto Caspian, the two if us tumbling to the ground in a heap of scales and teeth. I was on top of him, preparing to bite down...**

**And then I was under my opponent.**

**I looked up in shock. "But how-"**

**Caspian smirked. "Raptor's gotta have his secrets, right?" He leaned in closer, bearing his pointed fangs. "Now, where was I? Oh yes, I was just about to explain how you ruined my life from the very beginning-"**

**Realization flooded through my head. This wasn't centered around Grace; she was just the breaking point for Cas. "What?! Is that was this is about? Azazel?"**

**"Don't you dare even speak his name!" Caspian hollered, sounding both furious and frantic. "You'll taint his name through your poisonous words!"**

**"Caspain, Azazel died over four years ago-"**

**"He didn't die, he was murdered! By you, by my closest as most trusted friend!" Caspian's voice began to take on another persona, one of fear and a bit of insanity. "Can you imagine what it's like to watch as your best companion slaughters your only brother? And to have that same murdered rewarding with the throne right after? Do you understand all of the torment and misery that I experience every day when I even look at you?!" The more desperate Cas's voice became, the more pressure he applied to my wounded stomach. I resisted the urge to cry out in pain.**

**I tried to keep my voice calm as I responded. "Yes. I know exactly what that feels like."**

**Caspian's eyes momentarily flashed with an emotion that nearly fed emblems forgiveness. However, it disappeared as quickly as it had come, replaced by stoic indifference. "How?" Caspian asked in a raspy voice.**

**"The humans," I relied. "They killed my parents. They mocked me everyday but watching me suffer from inside the cage, pacing back in forth with no purpose in my life. Every time that they came I wanted nothing more than to destroy each and every one of them for what they do to my mother and father. At first, I saw them as kind, belevolent creature that fed and cared for us velociraptors. Until the day the killed my parents. I felt betrayed and neglected; that's why I wouldn't stop until I clawed my way to the top of our pack, no matter who got in my way."**

**By this time Caspian had walked in the opposite direction, my version of the story clearly shedding a new light on a touchy subject. I just wanted him to understand the culpability that I had undergone ever since Azazel's death.**

**"I never forgave myself for killing your brother, Cas. I still feel the guilt eating away at my very being every day, unceasing as it slowly continues to devour me." I paused, taking a deep breath. "Can you find it in you heart to forgive me?"**

**Caspian turned around to face me again, his expression unreadable. Finally, after an excruciatingly long pause, Caspian leaned in and whispered his answer into my ear.**

**"Not until I'm king and have my queen by my side."**

**He bared his teeth and aimed them at my throat. My eyes widened in fear of the raptor on top of me. I had been so wrong; it must be painful for Zakkon and the other pack members to watch their leader fall to at the hand of the omega.**

**Just when Caspian's fangs passed through the thin skin under my head, a cry of horror rang throughout the den.**

**Both Caspian and I looked towards the source in shock. What I saw gave me enough strength to kick my foe off of me. He huffed indignantly as he was shoved back forcefully.**

**I raced over to the bloody creature that had crawled its way into camp. I bent down and nuzzled the female's check with utmost care. "Adalinda," I croaked.**

**She have me a weak smile, blood pooling out around her, creating a sickening scent of death. "Hey Gryph. Glad you made it back in time..." She trailed off, coughing blood out onto the forest floor at my feet. "B-back in time before I-"**

**"Adalinda," I said, cutting her off frantically. "It's going to be fine. Caspian will get you some healing herbs, we can fix this, you are going to be ok, you are going to be ok..." I repeated this over and over to myself, refusing to let my sister's true state sink in. She had deep slash wounds across her face and body; one of her eyes had been scratched out, leaving a horrific hole in its wake. Both of her hooked claws had been broken, as if something had known to target her greatest weapon and disarm it first. It appeared that she had been tortured. I resisted the urge to hurl. **

**How she even made it back to the den was beyond my knowledge. Unless...something wanted her to make it back. To send some sort of barbaric message to the pack. To me.**

**This was my fault. **

**"What...who...who did this to you Adalinda?!" I screamed, swearing to avenge her.**

**Adalinda gurgled momentarily, trying to hold back the stream of blood that bad outing from her mouth. "A...rap...tor," she managed to spit out.**

**"One of our own?"**

**Adalinda shook her head back an forth, confirming my fears. Adalinda's and Cleo's wounds were to similar to not have been made by the same raptor; a raptor from another pack. A new pack.**

**Adalinda grabbed my hand, looking up at me with her one good eye. "They took Grace. F-find her..." My sister never got to finish. Her hollow breaths came to a stop, and her eye glazed over as death overtook her.**

**The sound that came out my mouth next was not normal. It contained all of my turmoils, from Caspian's betrayal to Grace's kidnapping to this. Seeing Adalinda die was like experiencing my parents's deaths all over again.**

**Zakkon, who had been at Adalinda's side the entire time yet morbidly silent, spoke up. "Damnit!" he bellowed. "Damn the beast that did this to hell!" He kicked a large bone across the clearing, sending it soaring into the nearby woods. "My baby sister is ****_DEAD_****!" **

**All I could do was curl up next to Adalinda's carcass and close my eyes. I had wasted all of my anger during the fight with Caspian; all that I wanted at the nomen was to restore life to my beloved younger sister.**

**I had seen Grace emit salty water from her eyes when she was upset. I suppose that if I was human, a tsunami of tears would be flooding from my sockets. But I only snuggled closer to Adalinda's body, ignoring the blood that stained my scales.**

**I felt a dark shadow pass over me and upon opening my eyes, the shadow was revealed to be Caspian. The look he gave me indicated complete repentance for his battle with me. **

**"We shall give her a proper burial. Her sacrifice will not go unrecognized."**

**"Sacrifice?!" I shouted in horror. "This was murder!"**

**"You don't think I realize that?" Caspian countered. "But there's nothin else we can do not but seek revenge. And you heard Adalinda; these monsters have Grace. If we just stand here weeping, she'll be next."**

**Zakkon hissed at Caspian's proposal. "Can't you give us a minute to honor our deceased sister? As much as I love Grace, there must have been a reason that these raptors kept her alive but mortally wounded Adalinda."**

**"They wanted to let us know who's in change now. They wanted to display their strength, and what they will do to get what they want. And Now that thy have Grace...they have leverage against us. It could mean the downfall of us all." I looked at Adalinda's unmoving body, then back up at Caspian. "You're right. We can't let them have the upper hand." I turned to my brother. "We'll take care of Adalinda tonight and then go after Grace in the morning."**

**Zakkon seemed uneasy, but he consented. "Of course."**

**Caspian appeared by my side. "Alpha," he acknowledged me to my surprise, "I wish to accompany you to rescue Grace tomorrow."**

**I nodded. "I don't want to risk taking more than a few raptors along. We could be ambushed at any point during this mission."**

**"I understand that. And that is why I believe it should be just you and I. Zakkon and Silas can protect the others from attack while we're gone."**

**I considered the possibility. It seemed logical to me. "We'll scope out our enemies and call for support if necessary," I concluded. **

**Caspian bobbed his head up and down. He then looked me straight in the eyes, deathly serious as he said, "I forgive you." He bowed, then trotted off to calm the other pack members, most of them in shock over Adalina's death.**

**I watched him walk away, wishing that things could have been different and that life wouldn't be so disastrous. **

**I then placed a hand on Adalinda's hide for the last time. "Goodbye, my sister. I never could have asked for a braver member of my pack."**

**Zakkon dragged her body off for burial; it was an ancient raptor ritual to bury a fallen raptor after death, thereby preserving their spirit to watch over the living pack members.**

**I looked up at the sky, which just so happens to be tinted an uncharacteristic bloody red shade. "I'm so sorry that I let you down, Adalinda. But I'm going to fulfill your last request even if I die trying." **

_AN: The next chapter will be a flashback to Grace's kidnapping, but I won't give anything away as to the big surprise in the story. I'll hold a contest: if anyone can guess the big finale, I'll let them decide who Grace ends up with! So comment your thoughts and you might just end up as the co-author of OAGW._


	14. Chapter 14: New Evils

CHAPTER 14: New Evils

_AN: Thank you to all of my amazing readers! All of your guesses were really close...but not exact! I now know exactly how I'm going to end this, and who knows...maybe I'll write a sequel if you guys want! I'm also beginning to write an original story, so do any of you know a website where I would be able to post it so that people can read it?_

_Dustchu: I can't thank you enough for your continued support! You're reviews always make my day and ypu're a lifesaver with the corrections :)_

_cartec667:__ Amazing guess actually! And thank you so much, you don't know how much I appreciate your reviews! :D_

_old chuck:__ Thanks, I'm glad that I've established the depth to my characters that I intended for them! And yes, this is the chapter with Chayton (finally xD). We should try to correlate our stories again!_

_Lelle-Smile:__ I apologize for the slow updates-I really have no time whatsoever haha. But even if I update at a snail's pace, I promise to get this story finished! :D (Eventually)_

Grace's POV

"I should've walked past the café along with the rest...And I never should have mixed blue jeans with your red and black dress...champagne in fancy glasses don't go with my cowboy hat...you told me off a million times, now I'm gonna tell you back," I sang, recalling the lyrics of my favorite song. It calmed my mind to think of the simpler times, like when I first heard this song. It was nearly 7 years ago. I saw the man on the street, strumming his guitar as people threw money at him as they passed by. I remembered standing there for over an hour, humming along. A lot of things have slipped my mind, but the words from Chayton's song had stayed stored in my memory all this time.

"What is that sound you're making?" Adalinda asked me. This was the first time she had spoken while on our walk, since she had not wanted to bother me before. I had sort of been in my own world, submerged in thought over the previous night's events.

"It's called a song," I replied. "A bunch of sounds and words strung together to form a sort of short story. For instance, this one's about-" I cut off abruptly, noticing the connection between the song and my current predicament.

"What is it? You know you can tell me anything," Adalinda purred comfortingly. I sighed, knowing what she said was true. I could consult with Adalinda about anything; I was closer with her than any human friend I've ever had.

"Relationship troubles," I mumbled, slightly embarrassed.

"Oh," Adalinda said, regretting asking. She hated putting Grace in this position, but she needed to understand what the human was experiencing. "Like you and Caspian?"

I stared at her in shock. "Caspian? No, it's nothing like that, we just..."

"Yes?" Adalinda prompted.

"It's hard to explain," I managed, withholding my actual thoughts. However, as nice as Adalinda was, she was persistent.

"Don't think you can fool me, Grace. I know you've been troubled for some time now. I just want to help."

I sighed, giving in. "Have you ever fallen in love, Adalinda?"

She pondered over the question or a moment, scanning her brain for an answer. "I suppose I have...a long, long time ago."

"And did you ever have doubts, ever think that you may love two raptors equally?"

At this point Adalinda understood where I was coming from. I couldn't decide between Gryphon or Caspian even though I would die for the both of them, no questions asked. But the fact that I was leading both of them on when I could only end up with one of them...it chewed at my heart every time I thought of it. I sniffed half-heartedly, only to gag as a mysterious scent washed through my nostrils. It smelled familiar, similar to the smell from the labs where I used to work. Chemicals, blood, and some other foul odor that I couldn't recognize. I cringed my nose, attempting to block the smell.

"I believe," Adalinda began, ignoring the smell, "that things like this take time to sort out. You can't simply choose overnight. And the choice definitely won't be easy for you...or for either Gryphon and Caspian."

I started, thrown off guard by the fact that Adalinda could read me like an open book. Was it that noticeable that I was torn between the two raptors who were battling for my affections? I didn't know how to reply. "I-Is it really t-that obvious?" I stuttered.

Adalinda returned my shocked expression with a warm smile. "I know that you're extremely close with both of them. And I know that both of them have feelings for you. The question now is if those feelings are required or not."

"But...how could I simply choose one or the other? It's been almost half a year now, and they've both done everything for me. Taught me how to hunt, fed me, comforted me...saved my life." I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath as I said the next part. "I love both of them equally for different reasons."

"Well, let's go over those reasons. What makes Gryphon and Caspian likable in your eyes?"

"I guess...Gryphon was the first raptor to prove to me that the entire species wasn't a pack if cold-blooded killers." I looked up at Adalinda apologetically. "No offense."

"No, go on," she replied warmly.

"He saved me, gave me a place of refuge. A place with friends and a new family who actually looked after me like I was their own...a home." I couldn't continue, afraid that the memories of my days on the street might come streaming back into my thoughts. It wasn't a topic that I preferred to think about.

Noting my hesitation, Adalinda moved on: "And Caspian?"

"I first met him when he...stopped Gryphon from..." I gulped. "Killing me."

"But remember why he wanted to-"

I burst. "What? Because I, his little trophy of war, ran away? He would kill me over that?!" My mind went blank, filled with utmost rage. Every thing that this pack had done for me forgotten, replaced with a sudden anger that overpowered my senses. It was almost like I couldn't control myself, but deep down I knew that I had buried this conversation for much to long.

"Grace, I know that it wasn't appropriate for Gryphon to have acted like that, but now that you know his past-"

"Yeah, his past of murder! He killed Caspian's brother! How can you justify that, even if you are his sister?" I screamed, the strange smell of chemicals making my head spin.

Adalinda looked appalled at my sudden outburst. "Grace-!"

"_Shut up_!" I barked, inadvertently pulling my knife out and holding it back, ready to strike.

Adalinda looked more startled than afraid. "What is going on? Not a moment ago we were calmly discussing your troubles and now-!"

She never got to finish. A muddy brown colored raptor tackled her to the ground, ripping into her flesh with a sickening sound of tearing skin.

"_ADALINDA_!" I hollered at the top of my lungs, beginning to run to her side. I stopped short when I felt a sudden sting of pain as an unknown attacker whacked the back of my head. I fell to the forest floor, face planting into the ground. I was flipped roughly onto my back and got a look of my foe for the first time. The sight made me whimper pitifully.

"Why hello there," the disfigured raptor cooed. "If you don't mind, we're going to take you with us." He slid his claw down my cheek, leaving a shallow streak of blood in its wake. I hissed in pain, struggling against his hold.

A cry pain echoed through my ears. I craned my neck to find the source even through I recognized its creator the moment she uttered the scream. The sight made my throat clench.

The other brown raptor was tearing bits of meat off of Adalinda's body, digging to the bone. Her torturer cackled gleefully as Adalinda bellowed furiously. I couldn't even begin to imagine the pain she must be experiencing.

I turned back to my attacker, who was grinning down at me. "You know, my scouts were right...you really are a beautiful specimen."

I held back the desire to vomit. "Leave her alone you son of a-!"

My world became engulfed by the black sea of darkness as the enemy raptor knocked me out. The final thing I saw before I blacked out was the two raptors sinking their teeth into Adalinda.

**Adalinda's POV**

**The pain was unbearable. This raptor was eating the pieces of skin that he ripped from my body. The louder I cried, the more pressure my attacker applied to my open wounds.**

**I wanted to help Grace, who had been pinned to the ground by the other raptor. She appeared relatively unharmed, yet I was not one to determine how much she could handle. For all it knew she was in as much pain as I was.**

**The raptor that had attacked Grace pounded her head with his own, knocking her out cold. I winced, fearing more for her life than my own. The raptor then ambled casually over to me, towering over me mockingly. "How do you like it down there, Adalinda?" he asked, smirking.**

**I spat at his feet with the last ounce of strength I had. "Go to hell, you bastard," I hissed, too weak to question how he knew my name.**

**"Aw, now is that any way to treat your superior?" The raptor replied, bending down so his eyes were parallel to my own. "I would recommend that you show some respect."**

**That was when I got a close up glance at his distorted features. His eyes were glazed over as if he was blind, but clearly he wasn't. Various scars ran down his face, neck, and body; I couldn't find a spot that wasn't either burned, scarred, or discolored. I could barely make out the dirty camouflage color of his scales. His blemishes simply aided to his horrific figure.**

**I growled. The other raptor that was on top of me placed its foot on my head and wrapped his claws around my skull, awaiting orders from his leader. **

**"Now for the real reason for our confrontation. You're going to tell me everything that you know about Gryphon and his pack," the raptor in charge whispered to me. "That is, if Delgado here hasn't carved out your vocal cords by now."**

**"Never!" I shrieked, almost inaudibly.**

**Signaled by a curt nod from his leader, my torturer dug his talons into my left eye. I screamed, trying to avert my attention to anything else as the left side of my world went dark. I would not break under the pressure of these terrorists.**

**I finally felt the pain slightly ease when my eye socket was completely torn out and the nerves there died, and I sighed heavily. I narrowed my remaining eye at the two raptors. "W-what do you want?!"**

**"I want to know about Gryphon and his pack!" the lead raptor roared. "Do not make me repeat myself again if you want to keep that other eye of yours!"**

**In to much pain for my brain to properly function, I began to laugh noisily. "If you believe that I'm going to tell you that kind of information after a little bit of torture, then you've got another thing coming."**

**Seething, the raptor clamped his jaws around my belly and pulled a chunk of flesh off. Blood streamed down my side; I writhed painfully. All five of my senses wailed in distress. I couldn't stop myself from crying out. "****_STOP_****!"**

**"This will all go away if you answer his damn question!" the brown raptor bellowed.**

**"No! I won't...I won't betray..." I began to feel dizzy from the loss of so much blood. I registered the dark shadows of both raptors passing over me. I felt a sharp slap on my face from one of the raptors.**

**"Try to stay awake, darling! Don't want to miss the best part!" The camouflage raptor chuckled malevolently, his white eyes cutting into my very soul.**

**"And what would the best part be?" I questioned, barely focused. "I'm not going to tell you ****_anything, _****you bastards."**

**The two raptors exchanged malicious glances. "Let's just say that we're going to put on a show for your brother."**

Grace's POV

It must have been several hours before I came to, because the sun had set behind the dense outline of the forest, paving the way for the thick darkness of the night. The faint scent of chemicals like the one before stung my nose. I resisted the urge to sneeze.

Groggily, I attempted to rise from my resting place only to be rendered incapable due to the restrains around my wrists and ankles. It was then that I realized that I was inside; the darkness that I credited to the setting of the sun was actually artificial darkness created by the structure I was in. I pulled at my restraints fruitlessly, trying desperately to shake then off but to not avail. Beginning to panic, I hollered into the darkness: "Hello, someone please!"

I almost had a heart attack when a voice to my right answered me. "Yes, Miss Grace?"

I recognized the voice immediately. The memories of before I blacked out came flooding back. "It's you," I said in a whisper. My tone escalated dramatically: "What have you done with Adalinda?!"

A bright light filled the room, temporarily blinding me. As my eyes adjusted, I found that I was in the medical ward of an abandoned InGen laboratory. I looked down to see leather straps pinning me to a large chair that looked like it should be in a dentist's office. "How...?"

"Evolution's a funny thing, you know. Opening doors, managing the machines here, strapping you to that chair...it's all so simple now."

I turned towards the sound of the voice-resisting the desire to admit to myself that the voice soothed my chaotic thoughts-and hissed at the scar covered, camouflage-spotted raptor from whence the voice was produced. "What did you do-" I was chocked into silence as the chemical smell plugged my entire sense of smell. "W-what-?"

"Please excuse the smell," the strange raptor purred. "It's just a small test my pack and I have been running. Did you know that certain gasses can evoke anger in a living organism?"

My cry of distress nearly caught in my throat. "Y-you...you drugged me?!"

"Fascinating, is it not? Humans developed some of the greatest inventions of all time." With every word the raptor got closer until he was looming above me, mouth ajar and white teeth gleaming. His breath almost overpowered the anger drug that floated around the room. For the first time I noticed his eyes: they were a milky white color, the irises a faded and barely noticeable shade of blue. Scars crisscrossed across his face. I would have felt pity for him if I wasn't his prisoner.

Ignoring his deformations, I mumbled, "No...the founders of Jurassic Park would never develop something like that here...it would be _insane!_" I argued frantically. "That would be just asking for a security breach!"

The raptor smiled, running his claws down my arm. I struggled desperately, wishing to be anywhere but here.

"I suppose that the creators of your Jurassic Park wanted to please the tourists rather than protect their employees," he laughed, white eyes inspecting my face with both curiosity and ill intent.

"Adalinda," I whispered, putting the past behind me and looking to the present. "Where is she?!"

The raptor tapped his claws against his thick jaw pensively. "Well, about now I'd say she's in a lot of places. Smeared on the ground, flung in the trees, in my stomach..."

A new anger attacked my senses. "_NO! WHO ARE YOU YOU SICK SON OF A BITCH?!_"

He cackled. "Feisty and to the point? I think I'm going to like keeping you around." Taking a mocking bow, he mused: "My name is Lucifer. And this is your new home."

I couldn't speak. My expression must have betrayed the horror I was experiencing, because the so called Lucifer grinned, obviously enjoying my confusion and fear.

"Oh, don't worry, child. As long as you behave, I won't hurt you. In fact, if you continue to impress me, I may just make you my queen."

"Save the sweet talk. I don't want your crown," I hissed through clenched teeth.

"Now, now! Let's not get off to a rough start. I'll make you a deal: if you agree to tell me everything you know about Gryphon and his pack, I promise to not harm you and one other pack member of your choice." He cackled. "So? What'll it be? Your death as well as the inevitable deaths of the rest of the raptors you've come to love, or...you can escape with the raptor you truly love."

"No!" I gasped, appalled at the suggestion. "You'll have to kill me a thousand times before I'll ever tell you anything! Too bad I can only die once," I spat.

Lucifer clicked his tongue in disproval. "Too bad. I actually thought you'd save yourself for a second there. Guess you're more..." he paused, gagging, "virtuous than I thought." Grabbing my throat, he whispered, "However, that doesn't mean that I won't have a little fun with you before I get what I want, whether that's you or your death. I haven't really decided which one I'd prefer. Maybe both."

"Both?!" I chocked, struggling against my restraints to warn him that I was running out of air. His white eyes pierced my own blue ones, and he began to laugh. As he released me from his grip, I breathed a sigh of relief and tapped my bruised neck delicately.

"I think you'll find out soon enough." And then he was gone, switching off the lights as he left. I smelled the thick odor or chemicals once more, and realized that it was the anger gas again. I began pull furiously at the straps that held me down, roaring into the darkness after Lucifer.

After what seemed like a lifetime, the drug finally wore off. A sickness washed over me as I thought my predicament over. And then I noticed them. The first set of eyes. I recoiled in shock. Another set appeared, then another, and another, and another...the entire room was filled with eyes, all turned to face me. I let out an ear-piecering screech: "_HELP!_"

But no one came. I fell into an uneasy sleep, the numerous pairs of eyes still glued to my place in the restraint chair.

_AN: Oh, the awful cliffhanger! I'm so evil :) Anyway, I'm starting to get the feeling that Grace is becoming the helpless damsel in distress. Should I make her more badass and independent, or is it more reasonable to keep her where she is? (Since she is a human living in a raptor's world, after all.)_


End file.
